The Dogs of War
by Hagia-Hyena
Summary: Those in the districts lamented a return to the old ways, but what they got was so much worse. Along with the required yearly offerings, the Capitol declared a bloodsport had begun. 24 children would be a human sacrifice. "The most potent kind of sacrifice," The Capitol had said, "In repentance for your transgressions." - Where the Hunger Games is more like "The Lottery"
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I'll be posting a companion piece to go along with this story that is told from Gale's perspective since I didn't want to bog this story down with a crap ton of exposition. It will be called "Dark was the Night" so keep an eye out for that. Damn, writing these author's notes is like leaving a voicemail for someone you don't really know. When you've said what you have to say you just start sort of rambling cos' you don't know how to finish it... so... peace out? My awkward audience communication does not reflect on my story telling ability... just saying.

Katniss' arrow struck the bird through the head and it fell to the ground. She let out the breath she had been holding and stalked after it. It was a decent sized bird for sure - at least enough for a meal for Prim and her mother. She stuffed it into the rucksack along with the other small game she had caught that day. She debated for a bit whether she should keep going or if she should head to the Hob to turn in her catch. It was getting dark and Gale would be back from the village soon. She took another look into the bag. _Good enough. _She thought and made her way toward her childhood home.

The sun was setting earlier than usual, she noticed. And with night time came the cold. She pulled the collar of her jacket up in a futile attempt to keep warm. _Winter is close_. She thought. Birds were migrating, squirrels were hibernating, game was becoming scarce. She dreaded winter. It meant more of a struggle to feed herself and her family. It meant she and Gale had to scrape for every morsel, every supply, every little essential just to survive. Though at this point they knew to prepare - they had been stockpiling all fall. Trading what they could with the Hob and local merchants… and the deranged witch further in the forest. Winter also meant the Games. This was something for which they could never prepare.

She was shaken from her train of thought as she came upon the electric fence. Her sister stood on the other side waving with a big smile plastered on her face. Katniss couldn't help but return it.

"Don't touch it, they turned it back on." Prim shouted as Katniss ran up to her.

"How long?" Katniss frowned. Their turning the fence on meant the Reaping was coming up.

"Two more days." Prim replied. Her face now grim.

She had just turned 12 this year. That meant she was now eligible to be Reaped into the Hunger Games. Katniss tried not to look worried. Instead she started off toward the Clever People tree, as she and her sister had affectionately, though unimaginatively, named it. It had been a toss up between that and The-reapers-must-think-we're-stupid Tree. It had one large, overhanging branch that spanned the fence. One just had to climb it and hop over to freedom on the forested side. She was about to pull her length of rope from its place around her shoulders when Prim pointed out that Gale had apparently left his wrapped around the branch. The girl began to scale the massive tree and, straddling the branch, scooted gingerly toward the rope to throw the slack down to Katniss. Katniss watched in amusement as her little sister struggled to accomplish this feat. The only thing the girl feared more then the outdoors was heights. Tasks like this were not her strong-suit. On her face was an expression of absolute focus and she never looked toward the ground. Katniss chuckled.

"Shut up," Prim croaked. "I need complete concentration." Katniss laughed louder.

Prim smacked at the rope until it fell to her sister and began scooting, this time with a little more urgency, back to the base of the tree. Katniss struggled at climbing the rope. She had knots tied in hers to make climbing easier, Gale didn't, though he couldn't tell her why. _Probably to be difficult_, she assumed. She finally reached the top and threw her leg over the branch, wrapped the rope back around it and moving across it a bit more deftly than Prim. She jumped down into District 12.

"I guess I could have just thrown my rope up there with his." She said. "Would have made it easier on both of us." She grinned at her sister. The remark earned her a playful punch on the shoulder.

"You're a horrible person, you know that?!" Prim leapt at her, wrapping her arms around her neck in a half-hug half-threatening gesture. She embraced her anyway - discretely feeling for signs of malnourishment. They parted and Katniss smiled down at the younger girl. She had grown so much since she had last seen her. She looked healthy. Happy.

"Looking good, little duck." Katniss said. She put her arm around Prim's shoulders and they started toward town. "Getting enough to eat?"

"Yeah." She replied. This was a topic she apparently wanted to avoid. So she began telling Katniss all the latest gossip from the Seam. She would sometimes invite her sister into this conversation, but they had an understanding that Katniss preferred to just listen. At this point she had no clear idea who any of these people were. She had grown out of touch since her exile. The only people she had any meaningful connection with were Gale, Prim and Greasy Sae. Because of her… predilection… she wasn't allowed within the district proper. Refusal to submit to the Pantheon and, by extension, the Capitol was a punishable offence in Panem. And thus she had been marked and cast out. Forced to survive in the forest or die trying.

The darkness provided cover, and their destination had few patrols. Prim went quiet as they approached the house. Katniss heard Lady bleating from some unseen location and she kept an eye out for Prim's devil cat. She saw it eyeing her from the porch as they rounded the corner. They maintained eye contact until she entered the house. She refused to back down.

"What you see in that thing, I will never know." She growled

"Buttercup's cute." Prim smiled, gazing dreamily at the floor. Katniss looked at her, horrified. _That?!_ She was about to say something snide when her mother interrupted her.

"It's you." She looked at her eldest daughter as if she wasn't sure if she was real. Katniss stiffened. She never knew how to act around her mother - never knew what to say. So she just nodded curtly.

The woman stepped towards her and extended her arms, pulling her into an awkward hug. Katniss reluctantly returned it. The relationship between the two of them had been strained since her father died. It was as if her mother had been frozen in time somehow. A veil had been thrown over her eyes, allowing her to watch the world pass her by without concern. Allowing her to disappear.

"Are you being safe?" The woman murmured.

Katniss sighed. "Mom, now? Really?" She wrenched herself away from the woman.

"I'm sorry." She started. "I just - I know it's just the two of you out there and your both growing up so -"

Katniss cut her off. "And I've told you it's not like that." She stormed past her into the kitchen. She emptied the contents of her bag onto the table. "Take your pick."

Her mother seemed to have ignored everything she had said previously. "For you maybe, Katniss." Katniss watched Prim follow their mother into the room, looking very uncomfortable. "But he's an 18 year old boy," She looked sternly at her daughter. When she spoke next, her voice was softer, more like a whisper. "And you're a beautiful girl. And I find what you're telling me very hard to believe." She took Katniss' hand. She looked back up at her mother now. Her face held a look of concern and something the girl could probably mistake for love, if she didn't know any better.

"Take your pick." Katniss repeated. Her mother let go of her hand, deflated. She grabbed the bird, and a squirrel from the small pile and took them to the counter to skin and salt them. Katniss shoved the rest of the game into her bag and headed out toward the Hob, Prim on her heels.

…

"So, _are_ you two out there making little baby Gales?" Prim asked. Katniss could hear the tone of mischief in her voice. She raised an eyebrow at her little sister, who looked entirely innocent. They darted behind buildings, sticking to the shadows until they finally made it to the Hob. She traded her catch for the supplies she and Gale would need. Clothing and blankets. Oil for lamps. Needle and thread. She knew Gale had already gotten bags of salt to preserve what little meat they could catch. Alcohol for sterilizing wounds - lye for soap.

Prim followed her back toward the woods. "You didn't answer my question." She said. Katniss scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, gods, Prim. Not you too." She quickened her pace. This was not something she liked discussing - with anyone.

The girl whined, "I didn't mean it like that." She struggled to keep up. "It's just, you know, the girls at school talk about him." Katniss relaxed and slowed, allowing the younger girl to catch up. They continued on a bit in silence. Feet making satisfying patting sounds on the dirt roads. There were so few patrols at night.

"I know Madge would be." Prim finally said. It took a moment for Katniss to catch her meaning. Then she chuckled. "I'm sure."

Prim was quiet for a moment before she said "_I _would be." Katniss halted immediately.

"Primrose!" She gasped, punching her sister lightly on the shoulder. "Inappropriate!"

"What?!" The younger girl flinched, rubbing her wounded arm. "Its not like he hides himself. He's always stalking around the Seam and the Hob with his big, muscley arms." She gestured vaguely toward the forest. "We've all seen him in the forest, Katniss." She poked her elder sister in the chest accusingly. "We've all seen him _naked_ in the forest, _Katniss_."

Katniss' jaw dropped. _They had seen that?_ She heard a voice behind her and turned to look. It was a peacekeeper. _Great_. She thought miserably. They had grown to accept hers and Gale's trips into town, only because they too thrived off of what the two poachers had caught. But it didn't make them any more pleasant to be around. He grabbed her roughly by the arm.

"Go home, Everdeen." He said to Prim. She looked worriedly between the two of them before Katniss gave her a nod to leave. She hurried off back in the direction of her home.

Katniss and the peacekeeper stood there in tense silence until Prim was out of earshot. Then she pulled her arm free, mumbled that she was leaving and stomped off.

"Yeah, get out of here, Hawthorne." The peacekeeper replied.

Katniss turned around to see a smug look on the lout's face. She made a rude gesture and bolted when he started chasing her. She ran him around the outer forest of the district until she was sure she had lost him. Then she climbed the branch over the fence and headed toward her home.

So the girls in 12 had seen Gale in the nude. She rubbed her face, trying to remove the thought. Seeing her mother, hearing Prim talk about Gale. It all brought back memories she would rather have forgotten, as these trips into the district often did.

…

She and her father had been hunting that day - they had also been caught by peacekeepers. They found her Lady's token upon them and her father had been lashed brutally. _"She's too young." _They had said. So they bound her and marked on her throat, with needle and ink, a symbol of evil or autonomy - depending on who you ask. Then they cast her out, chasing her past the fence with dogs.

She would later come to find that her father had died of his injuries. And her mother had withered away.

She snuck back into the district. Looking for food, scraps, anything. She went back to her home to find Prim starving and her mother staring out the window like a ghost. She struggled for days to get her consistently moving and talking. Going out at night to scrounge or steal what food she could to feed the three of them. She had gotten caught, of course, and had been lashed - though not as violently as her father. Then they threw her back into the woods.

It was the Fall before the Games and there was little prey around. She had lacked the experience to stalk anything and her pitiful attempts at making snares had failed. She trudged through the forest weeping silently. She was weak and almost dizzy with hunger. And that's when she discovered Gale. She had stumbled across one of his snares. She gaped at the lean hare it had caught. She turned, looking for any sign of the snare's creator. It obviously wasn't one of hers.

Satisfied that the person was nowhere around she knelt to examine it. Loosening the cords, she pulled the rabbit from its noose and took note of the knots in the trap. It was then that she heard the loud crack of a stick breaking behind her. She turned to see some sort of wolf/bear hybrid bearing down on her. Its dark fur looked matted and dirty, but it was very large. Larger than her at any rate. It bared its teeth letting out a low growl and she ran.

She didn't get far before it pounced on her, shoving her face first into the dirt. Its great paw pressing down on her rib cage, knocking the wind out of her. She braced herself for what was certain to be a horrific death only for the beast to start to turn her over. _That isn't right?_ She thought. She was pushed roughly onto her back to face a boy at least 5 years her senior, she figured. He glared at her before shouting, voice hoarse with disuse.

"Who are you?" He was kneeling over her, one hand pressing her shoulder down, the other holding a makeshift knife to her chest. She opened her mouth dumbly.

"Huh?" She squeaked.

It was then she noticed the mark on his neck mirrored hers. He seemed to realize the same thing as the pressure on her shoulder lightened and his brow furrowed. She took in more of him. His chest was bare and had on it a series of ornate jagged scars, no doubt placed there deliberately. Though by him or some other force, she wasn't certain. He showed no outward signs of the hunger that she suffered. His ribs weren't visible through the muscle and no bones were jutting from his shoulders or arms. She took in the size of him, eyes traveling down to gauge his height when she noticed he was completely naked. She blushed furiously. Her eyes darting back up and avoiding looking the boy in the face.

"Katniss." She said, probably a little too quietly. He lowered the knife and moved off of her.

He seemed to hesitate for a bit before finally saying "I'm Gale."

She nodded. Still not looking at him. "Why are you naked, Gale?" She asked. Certain her face was still red. Out of the corner of her eye she could see him shift, possibly to cover himself. She braved a glance over at him and saw that indeed he had.

"It's just more comfortable." He mumbled. Now it was his turn not to make eye contact. They sat in silence for a time before he got up and walked toward the snare. He jumped up to grab something held against a low-hanging branch. It was a small bag. _Just big enough for a rabbit_, she thought.

She stood up, looking around for any sign of the creature from before. _He must have scared it off_, she thought. _He's huge after all_. Satisfied it was gone she looked back towards him. He was walking back to her, arms inconspicuously trying to hide his genitals from her view.

"When was the last time you ate?" He asked timidly. She shrugged - feeling her stomach growl. He had apparently heard it, "Follow me." He said, moving past her.

"I'm not following a naked man _anywhere_." She was taken aback. How long had he been out here? He looked at her incredulously. Apparently shocked that she would turn down a meal for something so trivial. He had also apparently forgotten about her aversion to his nudity as he started toward her again holding the bag containing the rabbit out to her. She was determined not to look down, but it was from this determination that a flood of curiosity overtook her and she let her eyes linger, perhaps too long, on the only human penis she had ever seen. He followed her gaze down and then back up to meet her eyes. Her face felt hot, and she was certain it was entirely pink. He raised an eye brow, and handed her the hare. She took it and turned her gaze away from him.

"What about a wolf?" He asked. She met his eyes again, this time in confusion. He gave her the most up-to-no-good smirk she had ever seen before or since. It made her rather uneasy. He backed away from her. "Watch this." He said, making to crouch down. He hesitated before saying, "You don't need to be scared, okay?" in an almost gentle tone. And then suddenly he shifted and the beast from before now stood in front her. She gaped.

"You're gifted?" She reached out a hand, wanting to touch him, wanting to prove to herself that he was real. But she didn't see the human intelligence she was expecting to see in one of the hounds of Poloma. The wolf eyed her suspiciously. Its pupils grew wider each time she made to move toward it. Its ear's flattened and it let out a mix between a growl and a whimper when she tried to touch it, so she backed away.

It turned to move deeper into the woods, albeit slowly, as if unsure it could trust her behind it. She had a nagging doubt in the back of her mind if she could trust him. But he was gifted by her Lady, and he had scarred himself in her honor. She knew that she was protecting them both so she followed the hound to the hut in front of which she now stood.

…

She walked in and saw no sign of Gale but for his clothes in a heap on the floor. _He must be out running_. She mused. The moon was full tonight. That's when he was closest to Poloma. As one of her gifted he could feel her presence like no other could. He had once tried to describe it to her when they were warm in their home and their bellies were full. He had held her against his unnaturally warm body and told her to imagine, in her current state, a dream in which all who had loved her and cared for her stood around her and congratulated her on every triumph she had achieved, cheered every wonderful trait she had, and said all of this with complete sincerity. There are no feelings of condescension, no doubts of honesty. Full, happy, warm, and loved.

It sounded beautiful.

She returned to the present when she heard a heavy scratching at the door. She opened it and looked down at a furry, panting Gale. He had a heavy golden silk purse hanging from his mouth which could only mean one thing.

"Her again, huh?" She asked fluffy Gale. He ignored her and trotted past into the warmth of their home. He sat down leaning against their cot expecting her to sit down with him. His fur was cleaner now that he let her maintain it. And he trusted her completely. He would even, if she was feeling particularly daring, wrestle and play with her. But they were both too tired to face that challenge right now so she settled next to him scratching the hound's face and ears. He dropped the purse and laid his head in her lap. The feeling of flesh against her hand alerted her to the fact that he had changed. She continued to card her fingers through his hair.

"The Reaping is in two days." He said matter of factly. She told him that she knew. She told him that Prim was 12 now and he sat up. His nudity didn't bother her at all now. "Are you ok?" He asked. She shrugged. He put his arm around her and pulled her in to kiss her forehead. "She's fast, she can get away from the Reapers." He said, holding her. "We can wait for her by the tree - hide her until it's over." She nodded into his chest, hugging him back now.

"How did your trip to Circe's go?" She asked dragging the purse toward them. She desperately wanted to change the subject. Gale chuckled. Katniss and the witch had a pretty poor relationship to say the least. The old hag was a follower of Vega and was convinced that Katniss was a repressed prude that would faint at the mention of words like "vulva" and "clitoris" and "penis". She harassed the girl every time she entered her territory. There had been several times when she and Gale had been hunting that the woman had set what could only really be called "rape traps". The most recent of which involved a suspicious looking squirrel that, when shot, exploded in a cloud of one of her crazy sex potions. Well, it destroyed inhibitions so naturally Gale didn't stay Gale, instead he turned to hound form and the whole scenario ended with her being beset upon and chased up a tree by fluffy Gale and a very persistent bird. Though nothing untoward had happened, she and the boy couldn't look at each other or even speak to each other for days. Which is why Gale is the only one who goes anywhere near her shack anymore. And incidentally, is why Katniss thinks the woman is completely insane.

Gale laughed, "Well she wanted me to tell you that you're a frigid ice-queen and intercourse is a beautiful thing and you should have it some time." Katniss rolled her eyes. He pulled a small jar out of the bag and tossed it to her. "She also gave me a bottle of 'erotic massage oil'." He wiggled his eyebrows at her in mock seduction. She let out a soft "ooh" to match. She examined the bottle, it did indeed have "erotic massage oil" painted on the glass.

"Don't open it." He was more serious now. "Remember the lake." She sniggered remembering the incident.

"Did you tell her anything about us?" She inquired.

"Never." Gale smiled and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.

_Good_. She and Gale had a 'special' thing going on here and it was none of the crone's business. The last thing she wanted was the woman coming into their home and performing her bizarre rituals. And groping at her, and looking at her like she wanted to ravish her. Katniss shuddered. She would see their 'fornication' as an invitation.

Gale removed the rest of the contents of the bag. There were several small bottles, some to fight infection, some to heal frostbite, some to aid in mending broken bones, still others for keeping food fresh. Katniss started taking mental notes on which ones to ration, which ones could be sold at the Hob for something better.

"Who's the leading Champion this year?" She asked. Gale looked somber.

"The Champion of Marcus," Any light that had been in the boys face faded and he added "Again."

Katniss huffed in frustration. "Why won't he just die already?!" This will have been the juggernaut's third year in the Games. He had volunteered when he was 17, and he was still alive. They reap children from the ages of 12 to 18, but if you are victorious, you remain in the Games until you die or turn 20. The reigning victor and Champion of Marcus - _Cato_ - was 19. He was gifted, like Gale, and he had been scarred in his god's honor, like Gale. He relished the fight, and seemed to her to be bloodthirsty and cruel. _Just like his Lord. _She knew this because the only time outcasts like her were allowed into civilization was to watch the Games.

She had held Prim as they watched him brutalize a boy, not much older than her sister, on the huge screen on the justice building. He had hacked the poor thing to pieces, never thinking to wash the blood off of himself. _To prey on their fear_. She thought. She had seen his gift in his second Games. It was monstrous. Another boy about his size was charging at him with a sword when Cato reeled back, sucking in a deep breath. Katniss thought he was going to scream but he let out a massive stream of fire. It engulfed the other boy completely, the primal screeching from the burned boy tore at her mind. She wasn't sure she believed what she saw, but what else could it have been?

The Capitol had taken to calling him the Wyrm, like the dragons of legend. Gale figured just plain 'dragon' wasn't catchy enough.

She couldn't stand the thought of Prim having to face that… _thing. _Gale must have sensed what she was thinking because he pulled her into his lap and kissed her. And kept kissing her.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **Thank you those of you that are following and reviewing! It really means a lot. And to answer MK's question; yes, the story is vaguely based off of Theseus and the Minotaur as well as Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" in which one person is chosen at random to stand in the town square and be stoned to death in order to ensure a bountiful harvest. I heard a lot of smack being talked about the Hunger Games when it first got big and mostly people were complaining about it being too much like those two stories (and battle royale) it wasn't much like either of them tho, but it should have been.

Written to "At the End if the Day" by Amon Tobin

**Warnings**: lemons in this chapter for those of you that find it upsetting. Probably none of you.

She had to admit that she had been bending the truth when she told her mother that she and Gale weren't "like that". There _had_ been no penetration though - mostly due to a fear of pregnancy and a reasonable distrust of the herbal contraceptives the witch had once offered, but they did do a lot of… other things. So when his lips met her neck, her gut tightened and her fingers clenched at his shoulders reflexively. He moved his hands under her shirt to rub soothing circles on her back and she felt her self relax. She slid her hips forward to meet his and put her arms around his neck. Their lips met once again and he pulled her tighter against him his hips rocking up against hers

She gasped when she felt him begin to harden. His growing erection pressing against her, causing heat to pool in in her groin. He paused suddenly, meeting her eyes and silently asking if he was misjudging the whole situation. She responded by reaching a hand down to stroke him and, with renewed vigor, he went back to his previous assault on her throat. He groaned as she thumbed the head of his penis and he pulled her shirt over her head almost roughly. His mouth met her breasts and she let out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding. He then started fumbling to take off her trousers. She lifted her hips to help him remove them and shifted over to his side.

She lie back as he leaned over her, mouth and hands connecting with her breasts once more. One of his hands began a journey down her body and she fisted her hands in his hair, squirming under his fingers slow descent. She placed her feet on the floor - bending her knees and opening her legs for him. Instead of pushing his fingers to her as she had anticipated, his hand ran up her thigh, kneading the flesh nearest her sex. She tried to squeeze her legs shut to get some friction from his hand, but as she started to do so, he moved it further down her leg.

"Gale." She whined. She felt him smirk against her chest. She made to grab for his hand but he pulled it out of her reach and looked up at her with a mischievous smirk. She narrowed her eyes at him and in a flash knocked him off balance and pushed him onto his back. She then straddled his waist and slid her wetness against his length. He moaned as he bucked up against her, hands on her hips, grinding her harder against him. She kissed the scars on his chest and he reached down to grip her bum.

Her muscles clenched deliciously and she let out a raspy breath as he rutted up against her. She leaned down, capturing his mouth with hers. An arm wrapped around the small of her back, holding her in place while the other hand found its way to her breast, kneading the soft mound. She whimpered into his chest as she continued to rock against him.

She started placing kisses down his chest. He moaned, hands rubbing up and down her sides as she moved down his body, placing kisses as she went. She placed soft, wet kisses up his shaft before finally wrapping her lips around the spongy tip. He made a noise in the back of his throat and bucked his hips up into her mouth. Hands fisted into her hair as she took as much of him as she could. Her hand traveled down between her legs, rubbing at herself with the heel of her palm.

"_Katniss_."

She keened softly in response.

He wrapped his hands into her hair and it wasn't long until he was gasping and tugging her head back.

"I'm gonna -" He breathed. She pulled him from her mouth, finishing him off with her hands.

He lay there for a moment, catching his breath as she continued her ministrations on her self, moaning quietly and pressing her face into his chest. His hands soon replaced hers and she sighed as he mirrored her previous actions, kissing his way down her torso - spending extra time on her breasts - and nipping lightly before settling between her legs.

He wrapped his arms around her legs, smoothing his hands across her belly as he licked and sucked at the juncture between her thighs. It wouldn't be long before he had her coming undone - moaning and clawing at whatever article of clothing was bunched up under her back - she was already so close now. She threw an arm over her eyes, focusing purely on the warm, wet mouth working at her most sensitive areas. A shudder racked her body and she dug a heel into his back after a particularly sensuous stroke of his tongue. _Oh shit_. A finger plunged into her wet cavern.

Her walls fluttered deliciously as she listened to the nigh obscene squelching sounds his mouth and fingers were making against her cunt and that rubber band in her belly began to tighten. Her free hand wandered down to wrap around his wrist. She arched her back, whimpering as he lapped more fervently against her heated skin. His strong arms held her hips in place as she began to squirm. _Fuuu-oh, so close._ She lifted herself up to rest on one elbow - hips rolling up against his mouth, fingers grasping his thick hair. He suckled lightly at the little nub, letting his tongue flit lightly across it and she felt herself explode. She cried out, falling back to the floor with a thud.

When she finally became too sensitive to allow him to continue she pushed him away. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and flashed her a self-satisfied grin.

"Feel better now?" He pulled her close, placing a kiss just below her ear.

She nodded against his neck, catching her breath. "Much."

She stood, giving him a light smack on the bottom as she did so, and went to grab a small hand towel to clean them both off. Then they settled into bed for the night. He kissed her lightly on the nose before pulling a blanket over them and they fell into a peaceful rest.

…

The next morning they bathed in the nearby lake before meeting Prim by the fence. They described their plan to protect her from the Reapers. Going over every aspect in detail to make sure she understood. Katniss and Gale had been aiding the children of District 12 in escape for the past two years. They had seen the tricks the Reapers pulled - nets, traps set up to incapacitate potential champions, tranquilizer darts. They schooled Prim on each one and how to avoid them. The little girl just nodded grimly at everything they said. They told her to meet them at this tree as soon as she could. They would be waiting for her. They told her that if she found her way blocked, to hide and not to come out until she was absolutely certain that the coast was clear.

Tomorrow was the opening ceremony. Katniss' stomach twisted violently. She felt like she was going to vomit. Tomorrow Prim would have to witness the true horror of the Games and the corrupt influence that kept them in place.

"I love you, Prim." She started. "You know that, right?"

Her little sister nodded, tears forming in her eyes. Katniss pulled her into a hug. She felt Prim start shaking in her arms and her shirt started going wet. They held each other for a time before Prim pulled away.

"I have to get to school." She said weakly, wiping the tears from her face.

"You'll be fine, ducky." Gale said holding her chin in his hand. "It's your first year, you won't have any weight at all." Prim nodded, trying to seem confident.

"Thank you." She smiled. And then with one last hug for the both of them she went back to the district.

Katniss spent the rest of the day trying to find ways to distract herself. Gale had gone to see his family (his own sibling would be in the reaping pool next year), so he wasn't there to put her worries to rest. She hunted and then traded what she could at the Hob. She saw the mad woman from the woods as she approached her home. From this distance she didn't _appear_ to be up to no good, but that didn't mean she wasn't. She had apparently sensed Katniss' approach.

"I heard it was your sister's first year in the Games." She turned around to face the younger girl. Katniss stood frozen. The old woman got up from her seat on the ground with surprising grace. As she approached, Katniss wondered (and not for the first time) if she was also gifted.

She was already a woman when Sae was a child, so she must have been in her 70's. And yet her body still maintained its youthful shape, albeit with several more wrinkles. Her hair remained healthy, with beautiful auburn and grey curls that fell about her face and the most striking green eyes Katniss had ever seen. She wore a dress that was more suited for a courtesan than a hermit - though she supposed the woman had left civilization with the clothing of her profession. Her previous career before her forced hermitage was no mystery. To anyone.

She was still a very beautiful woman, despite her age. And as she grew nearer to Katniss, the girl saw something that she found very odd in the woman's hands. It was a token. A token of the Pantheon. Katniss knitted her brow.

"It's meant to protect children." The woman clarified. Handing the talisman to Katniss. The girl took it without question. "He shows mercy on the little ones." She smiled, touching Katniss' face.

"Why are _you_ giving it to me though?" The younger girl asked.

The old woman seemed to recoil and Katniss was afraid she had insulted her before she returned, "Because the Games took my boy from me." Her voice was stony. "And it is a heartbreak no woman should bear, especially one as young as you." She closed Katniss' hand into a fist around the token before continuing. "Hopefully with your Lady's blessing on those who respect the creatures of the world, like little Primrose does, it will bring her luck in the Reaping."

"Where did you get it?" Katniss stared at it. Those in the districts weren't allowed to have them, and it didn't look like it had come from the Capitol. It looked to be hand made. It was a soft metal and the girl could see the harsh lines in it from where it had been pressed and struck into shape with some kind of rudimentary tool. The final shape was that of a womb.

"A traveler." She replied., voice picking up. The witch was known to trade heavily with the Gypsies that passed through the woods. They brought with them all sorts of curiosities: jewelry, clothing, small fetishes, strange magics and books from all over Panem - and possibly from all over the continent.

The woman continued. "She was a hound of Poloma, much like your Gale. She said her Lady requested she give it to me, but couldn't tell me what it was for." She studied Katniss' expression.

"Thank you." She whispered. Her eyes started burning. The woman cupped her cheek again before disappearing into the forest.

…

Katniss was sprinting toward the district. Prim needed this as soon as possible if it was to do her any good, but Prim would be at school. She cringed inwardly, _I'll have to give it to mom. _She crouched at the edge of the woods scanning for any sign of peacekeepers. Satisfied that there were none she hurried toward the little house. She found her mother in the kitchen absentmindedly drying dishes.

"Mom." Her mother jumped letting out a startled shout and clutching her hand to her chest.

"Katniss! You almost scared me to death." She laughed. Katniss hurried toward her holding out the token. Her mother took it and stared at it in awe. "Where did you get _this_?" She touched the warped figure, no longer smiling. She lightly rolled it around her hands.

"And old Gypsy woman passing by." She lied. She knew that even under the current circumstances, her mother would start an argument if she mentioned the witch.

Her mother looked up at her, eyes wide.

"It's for Prim?" The woman choked and started to cry. She pressed her hand over her mouth before sobbing. Katniss grabbed her by her shoulders.

"Mom." The woman didn't acknowledge her. "Mom!" She said a little more forcefully. It was very important that the woman didn't fade out. It was very important that this token got to Prim and Katniss couldn't stay for long for fear that the Capitol peacekeepers that came for the Reapings were around. The woman sank to the ground and Katniss followed her. She huffed in frustration - her mother was still so fragile. Katniss imagined she had been under a lot of stress since her sister's birthday, knowing she was eligible for the Games now. All it took was one little reminder to tell her that the nightmare she thought she had been living in was a reality. It angered her eldest daughter to no end.

Katniss shoved her against the cabinets, shouting now. "Mom, I really need you to listen!" She was swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "Prim really needs you to listen." Her mother looked up at her wiping the tears from her cheeks and Katniss realized, through bleary eyes, that she too, was crying. She took a moment to compose herself before saying. "You can't go away again." Her mother hummed vaguely. "Are you listening to me?" The woman blinked before nodding, looking down at the token.

Katniss' throat felt tight and she had a horrible sinking feeling in her gut. "She needs you to help her, mom." Her attempts an calming herself were failing. "You need to help her get to the forest." Then she sneered "Gale and I will be waiting. It won't be your problem anymore after that."

The blonde woman nodded. "I'll make sure she gets it." she choked.

Katniss had nothing more to say so she got up and left.

…

When she got back to the fence, Gale was just climbing the tree. She wiped her face on her sleeve, sniffling and trying to keep her head down. She didn't want him to see her crying.

"What's up, Catnip?" He asked cheerily. He sat on the branch waiting for her.

"I had to talk to mom." She said in what she hoped was her best neutral tone. He reached a hand down to help her up, then jumped down on the other side. She soon followed. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed her forehead.

"She'll be alright." He encouraged. Katniss put her arm around his waist as they walked, hoping he was right.

…

That night, she had a terrible nightmare about the boy from 2. She and Prim were running from the Reapers. The demonic masks they usually wore were instead replaced with a black, hungry void. They tore through the streets consuming the children of her district. She and Prim dashed to the tree line - to safety. As they ran, Katniss felt her legs start to give out, her grip on her sister's hand weakened. Her feet were dragging through mud and Prim ran ahead of her. She fell to her knees, a roaring in her ears. She felt her face flush as if she was about to pass out and then she heard a thunderous boom of what sounded like a mine explosion. Then Prim screamed. She looked up in panic to see her sister being consumed by flames. She tried to scream for her, to run to her, but her tongue was mute and she fell back to the ground.

She looked up, nearly paralyzed, for any sign of her sister. What she saw instead was Cato carrying the charred and mutilated remains of a little girl. Katniss screamed, but the brute ignored her curses as he trudged past her, throwing the remains of her sister off of the stage and into the crowd of ravenous Capitol citizens. They then began to devour her.

Cato dragged Katniss to her feet. She stumbled. The crowd began a war-like chanting. Then they were crowning the two of them as victors. The crown was place upon his head and a large black snake was draped over her shoulders. It began to twist its way into her clothing. It was at that time that Cato embraced her, trying to force a kiss on her lips. She struggled against him, trying to push him away but the same weakness from before over took her. She shouted obscenities at him, mocking him for anything she could think of as tears stung her cheeks.

She woke with her hair stuck to her wet face and a still sleepy Gale asking her what was wrong. She shook her head and tried to get back to sleep, but she was tense and sleep no longer seemed a possibility. She shivered in the cold of their hut. Gale pulled her to him and rubbed her back in soothing circles. She huddled against his warmth, the chill in her skin quickly dissipating. He ran his fingers through her hair and she began to relax. It took only a few minutes for her to fall back into a now peaceful slumber.

…

The sun was at the top of the sky when they headed toward town. Katniss: to support Prim at the ceremony - Gale: to support Katniss. Though the opening ceremony wasn't _technically_ a part of the Games, peacekeepers still allowed the outcasts into town to view the recap of the previous Games. But Gale and Katniss weren't headed in the direction of the recap at the justice building so they still kept a weather's eye out for trouble.

Reapers were already in the streets, she noticed. They were off-duty peacekeepers. All of their skin was covered in ratty black clothing and they wore cheap costume masks from the Capitol. Their peculiar image was based off of a fairy tale used to scare children. A story of impish creatures that would steal bad children from their beds and drag them to Hell, where they would be punished for back-talking for all eternity. _A fitting tale considering the history of the Hunger Games_. She frowned.

Two Reapers stopped them in their tracks.

"We're allowed to be here." She argued.

"Not here, you're not." The Reaper gestured around them. "Get over to the square, or fuck off back into the woods, heathens."

Katniss felt Gale stiffen next to her. She placated him as discretely as she could before continuing. "I have a relative in the reaping pool, I'm allowed to go see her." The man before her seemed just now to recognize her.

"Oh, of course you do, Everdeen." He pointed at Gale. "He don't, though."

His partner added. "Tell the mongrel to fuck off and you can go wherever you like." She was about to tell him where he could stick her foot when she heard a voice behind the men say her name.

A young man jogged up to the two of them, she recognized him as the boy from the bakery. Prim had mentioned him once, she told her about how the boy would smuggle bread from the shop to her and their mother. Katniss had gone one night to visit him, to thank him for showing her family mercy. She couldn't find the words, however, so she thought she had just been frightening like some feral child from the forest. She was surprised he even knew her name.

"Prim's at the ceremony." She looked at him in confusion. "She sent me to look for you." He added helpfully. She just nodded.

She and Gale turned from the Reapers to follow him, but she was sure Gale was glowering after them.

"How did you know my name?" She asked him.

He avoided her gaze, looking at his feet. "Prim told me."

"But how did you know it was me?" She raised an eyebrow.

He risked a quick glance at Gale. "You were with him." He said. "There was only one person you could be." He then looked at the mark on her neck and up into her eyes before casting his gaze back to the ground.

…

The first thing they saw as they approached the justice building was the huge screen featuring what must have been a montage of Cato's kills from the previous Games. She could vaguely hear the cheery voice of the announcer over dramatic music. It then showed the victory ceremony. The Champion's face was unreadable as they placed the crown on his head followed by the same haunting chant from her nightmare. She felt her stomach drop, and she grimaced.

They neared the gathering in time to hear a deep male voice telling them the history of the Games - why there had to be sacrifice. Her stomach was twisting for a very different reason now. She felt like she could spit acid at the next Capitol scum that told her that the systematic slaughter of children was _necessary._ It was necessary to save their precious Pantheon. Their weak and impotent "gods" required sacrifice to maintain their power - to keep their blessings upon the slimy Capitol bastards.

And one day, the districts decided they weren't going do it anymore. No more sacrifices would be made to the Pantheon that gave them nothing in return. They "sacrificed" crops, medicine, gold, precious stones, lumber, livestock and what did the blessings did the districts receive? Plague, violence, famine. Entire sections of the districts starved, and wasted away. The Pantheon's sacrifices raped the land of its fertility - little to nothing could be grown on local farms. The only district that didn't seem to suffer from the drought was District 11.

Then came District 13. They lay the farthest away from the mountain on top of which the Pantheon sat. They were once revered as powerful mystics and necromancers. They may have even been privy to arcane knowledge that even the Pantheon didn't posses. Few of those in the settlements knew of this, but life with Gale and the tales from the occasional traveler had educated Katniss.

District 13 wasn't the type to accept injustice. They rose up against the Capitol and the Pantheon with the help of the heathen gods and the other districts followed suit. A bloody civil war wrecked the land for over a decade. The Capitol showed the might of their gods with guns and tanks, but for every one of 13's warriors they took out, they lost three of their own.

Until one day, District 13 went quiet. No troops went in or out. It was as if they vanished. They would later learn that the whole district had been swallowed by the sea. The Capitol reacted swiftly, crushing any remaining opposition. Without the power of the mighty District 13, the rebellion was quickly squashed. They were forced once more into subservience. To worship the rebellious heathen gods was banned and any refusing to submit were executed or banished.

Those in the districts lamented a return to the old ways, but what they got was so much worse. Along with the required yearly offerings, the Capitol declared a bloodsport had begun. A tournament in which one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 would be taken from their families in order to compete. They would be christened a "Champion" of a deity in the Pantheon and forced to fight in an arena for the honor of their patron, or die. They would be a human sacrifice. "_The most potent kind of sacrifice_," The Capitol had said, "_In repentance for your transgressions_." The poor families would have to watch as their children were slaughtered before their eyes to provide entertainment to the Capitol and for the glory of the gods in which they did not believe.

…

The looks she and Gale were giving the shrill voiced little woman at the podium couldn't melt steel, but not for lack of trying. The baker's son seemed to shrink away from them. She saw Gale's fists clenched at his sides and she thought he was going to turn and storm off but he just took a deep breath, expression softening and said, "It won't be her." She understood his meaning immediately and nodded.

She turned to the baker's son and asked where she could find Prim.

"Um," He looked over the heads of the children gathered there. "She's up here, follow me."

They shoved their way through the crowd - Gale a bit more roughly than she and the other boy. She watched the boy stealing quick glances back at her. _Trying to be covert_, she imagined, smiling.

"My name is Peeta, by the way." He said shyly. She raised her brows, realizing she had never properly introduced herself to him.

"Katniss." She said.

"I know." He laughed back at her. She gave him the friendliest smile she could muster, given the circumstances. She felt Gale pressing closer to her, practically stepping on her heels. She grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, smiling up at him.

They reached her sister. The little girl's expression was blank. The woman at the podium was describing the ritual of the Reaping as well as the conditions of the event. Prim seemed to be trying to tune it out. Katniss grabbed her hand and she was shaken from her train of thought. The girl looked up at her, fear written on her face. Katniss tried to give her a comforting smile. The girl just faced the stage again with the same hopeless expression. Katniss' heart sank.

Peeta took notice and patted the young girl on the shoulder. "You'll be alright, kiddo," He said "It's your first year, you won't have any weight at all." He mirrored Gale's earlier words.

The woman began calling children up to the stage from oldest to youngest. They put them in tight, brightly colored vests so they would be recognizable as prey for the Reapers. They then started locking heavily weighted ringlets around their wrists, shoulders and ankles. _To make them easier to catch._ Katniss thought bitterly. The plight of one boy, about Gale's age, struck Katniss the hardest. He was small and thin from hunger and he had obviously applied for tesserae several times because he was barely able to shuffle off the stage after they had added all the weight. One of his legs was shackled up to the knee and another young man (presumably his older brother) had to help him down the steps.

"Peeta Mellark, age 16!" The Capitol woman squealed into the microphone. Gale patted the boy on the back in an attempt at encouragement. He gave the two of them a weak smile before making his way up to the stage. They strapped him into the vest and began adding weight. He had more than Katniss was anticipating. They added the standard metal rings for his age but then clapped on another one to his neck. She knew it to glow slightly in the dark, making him easier for the Reapers to spot. They only put them on petty criminals, however, and she wondered what he had done that landed him in trouble.

She wouldn't get a chance to ask him because when he stepped down from the stage he was met by a formidable looking woman who dragged off in the direction of the merchant district.

"His mother turned him in for stealing bread from their bakery." Her sister told her. "They lashed him, too." She could tell that her little sister felt pity for the boy as she was watching his retreat as well. She rubbed at Prim's shoulder, more to comfort herself than her sister, if she was being honest.

They waited until Prim's name was called. Katniss walked her up to the stage and then met Gale by the descending steps. She watched as they placed the vest on her small form and clapped a thin golden bracelet of her wrist, as was customary for the first-timers. Once they were done marking the children, the woman made an announcement, more for the benefit of the Capitol viewership than those present, that the Reaping would being with the sound of a cannon at midnight tonight. One boy and one girl would be captured, christened, and taken to the Capitol to die for the sins of their ancestors.

"Happy Hunger Games," She smiled. "And may the will of the gods be ever in your favor."

AN: Until I wrote a sex scene, I didn't realize how hard it would be not to refer to genitals as 'junk' and to not use a comedic tone when describing sex acts… Also if you notice any "h"s missing, it's because a cat thought it would be fun to SHARPEN HER CLAWS on the keyboard of my lap top and the H key was irreparably damaged so now all I have is this _tiny little button that I've been missing quite a bit._


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I _**hate**_ whiney "Why isn't anybody reviewing?! D':" posts but… I've got nearly 300 views and only 6 reviews…? Is it just a lack of interest in the story itself or what? Anyway, this is kind of a short chapter but I promise you a very long one is next :3

She and Gale weren't allowed in town for the Reaping. So they went over their plan with Prim once again and, after making sure the girl had Inam's token, they went to wait by the tree for her little sister.

"Take a nap!" Katniss called after her as they separated. Prim nodded, fingering the token in her hand.

She looked to Gale, searching for something in his expression, she desperately needed to see… something. She was frustrated and scared. She hoped with all her being that her mother didn't do something stupid to draw the attention of the Reapers to her sister. She was breathing heavily now. Gale just kept looking ahead, face unreadable. He seemed focused, determined - he was always edgy with the Reaping near.

She looked to the sky for the position of the sun. What time was it? She couldn't see it past the tree cover, however. _It must be late afternoon._ She saw the moon hanging above the canopy, waiting to take over the burden of lighting the world. She wondered what they thought of this? If they thought at all. If the light from those heavenly bodies shone as bright on the Capitol as it did on the districts - or if they even reveled in the Games. She started to pray. She prayed for her Lady to bring Prim swiftly to the safety of her devoted and her gifted. She grabbed Gale's hand and he squeezed hers tightly in reply.

Once they had landed on the other side of the fence Gale stripped, throwing his clothing at Katniss.

"Wait here." He said and then he changed and ran off into the forest.

…

It had just turned dark by the time he returned. He had the silk bag with him. She took it from his mouth and he shifted back to human form. He had drying blood smeared on his front, she noticed. He had caught something, but there was no sign of it. He dressed again. They leaned against a nearby tree and waited for the cannon to fire. The anticipation was killing her and she fidgeted uncomfortably, drawing pictures in the dirt with sticks and pulling up bits of grass so she could tear them apart.

It seemed like ages before they heard the boom. She took a deep breath and exhaled. Trying to clear her mind. She needed to stay calm, she needed to focus. There were more kids than just Prim. They would be coming and they didn't need a shaky, fidgety little girl hindering them. In the moonlight she could see Gale's eyes narrowing, scanning the brush for any signs of movement. He sniffed the air. Her senses weren't as acute as his, so she just took to pacing the fence, still breathing heavily.

A boy, a first timer like Prim, was the first to reach the fence. He tried to grab at the mesh of it before Gale shouted at him to scale the tree. He fell into Gale's arms and Katniss led him back into a clearing they had formed to seat what victims they could. They stood waiting for several hours before Gale said "There aren't nearly as many as last year." Katniss took this as a bad omen. _Prim should be here by now. _She worried her lip with her teeth. Another girl, probably her age came crashing through the undergrowth, she was sobbing.

"Climb the tree." She tried to say it as calmly as possible, but the girl was hysterical. She had several weights on her arms and shoulders and appeared to be limping. She struggled to grasp the branches, to pull herself up. Her attempts all ended in her falling to the ground. Gale had pulled his rope from the bag and was in the process of lassoing it over the branch before she even thought to act. He climbed it with ease and dropped down on the other side. He hoisted the trembling girl onto his back, wincing when her shackles dug into his flesh. He lowered her down to Katniss who led her back to the clearing. They only had the two kids so far and the Reaping was surely almost over.

"They weren't in the streets." The girl sobbed. "They were in the forest." Katniss tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "Hanna - they - they did - they're the most awful…" The girl trailed off before vomiting into a nearby bush. Katniss unwisely let her imagination fill in the rest. She felt faint. If the Reapers were in the woods then… _Prim_. She imagined her sister trusting her plan. Running into the forest and meeting the demons. Her pulse pounded in her ears, she felt her face flush. She needed to tell Gale, they had to go find her. To hell with the rules, they never followed them before.

"Katniss!" It was Gale shouting for her. She ran to his voice seeing him standing on the other side of the fence with the heavily bound boy and the older one from before. The older one was holding his arm, blood pouring from a wound he had sustained.

"I can't pull him over by myself." Gale pleaded. Katniss grabbed her rope, taking it with her. She stayed on the branch as the two unweighted boys below her lifted the wretch up to her. She helped him pull one arm over the branch until he was resting on his chest, she then threw one end of the rope down to Gale. The older boy tied the rope to his shackled leg. Katniss pulled him up as Gale pushed until he was finally seated completely on the thick branch. She helped him maneuver until they sat at the end of the branch, it creaked ominously as they spanned the fence. She chanced a worried look at the boy who shared her concern. She loosened Gale's rope from its place and tied it around the boys chest.

"You'll be okay." She assured him before dismounting. Gale clambered across the tree and took a place by her side. They took the loose end of the rope, having the boy lower himself slowly until they got him on the ground. They helped him to the camp before returning to their place. The boys brother had gone by then.

"We have to go find Prim." She said as she began scaling the rope. Gale pulled her back down and she felt a stab of betrayal before she shoved him away from her, trying to continue her mission.

"They'll shoot us on sight, Katniss." He grabbed her from the rope again. She smacked his hands away. Ready to hit him for real if he tried to grab her again. He did.

She threw a jab at his face, almost hitting him in the jaw, but he ducked back out of the way. He tried holding her wrists down to keep her from striking him, but she just began to kick. He trapped her arms between their chests as he pulled her into a bear hug and bore down on her, making it difficult for her to get momentum with her legs.

"Let go of me!" She shouted. This is what she got for with sparring with him, she supposed. He knew how she moved, knew how hard she could hit. He was prepared for it. She tried biting him, but he just huffed.

"She's going to be fine, Katniss." He said "And you're no good to her dead." She shrieked, trying to twist out of his hold.

"How do you know?!" She shouted. "How do you know she's going to be okay?!" She managed to get a knee up between the two of them and tried to push away from him. All she got was a sickening pain in her neck and spine. _Is he made out of rocks?_

"Because if she's anything like you, they're probably too scared to go after her." His attempt at humor calmed her slightly, but she still fought against him.

Her retort was stunted by the sound of a cannon. Dawn was breaking. The Reaping was over. She heard the buzzing from the electrified fence fall silent. She hadn't even realized it had been making a sound. She gripped Gale's shirt. Going slack in his arms. He loosened his hold on her and she stayed still. She leaned up to kiss him, and he returned it, though with caution. He let her go and went to check that it was safe to touch the fence while she fetched the now free children.

They returned to find Gale holding the thick cables open for the kids to slip through. Then he and Katniss led them back into town. Everyone in the district gathered in the town square to hear the results of the Reaping. Parents cried while scanning the crowd for their missing children. Katniss searched for her sister, but found no sign of her. Worry nagged at her gut. She unconsciously held Gale's hand around her waist. She saw the woman who had dragged Peeta off. Her face was grim. The man standing next to her was even worse. All the color had drained from his features. He had dark circles under his eyes from the exhaustion of worrying all night for his son... sons. He looked like a corpse.

Once everyone was present, the Capitol woman from before took her place behind the podium. Katniss and Gale were ushered to the side of the stage, away from the crowd where the peacekeepers could keep an eye on them. She was certain she wouldn't see her sister in the thick mass of people. She tried to put her worry to the back of her mind. The woman reminded them of the rules of the Reaping.

"Once the Champions are announced, someone with in the range of age may volunteer in their place," She smiled. Through her thick make up it looked maniacal. "Announcing his or her allegiance." She spared a quick glance toward Katniss and Gale. "Any non-blasphemers, of course."

She mentioned this because she and Gale couldn't volunteer as Champions. They owed no allegiance to the Pantheon. They could only volunteer as tributes. Voluntary sacrifices to take the place of the true victor, except under very specific circumstances. First they had to kill the reigning victor, and then they had to survive.

"And now, meet your new District 12 Champions," She giggled. Peeta was led out of the door behind her and onto the stage. Katniss' heart broke for him. He was obviously trying to hide the fear he felt. Swallowing it so that all that was left was hopelessness. His eyes combed through the crowd, searching for someone - or some ones. He didn't find what he was looking for. His face fell and he held his bottom lip between his teeth. "Peeta Mellark," She clapped - trying to bring the audience in to it. She failed.

The appearance of the female champion froze Katniss' blood. Gale jerked forward and a peacekeeper made a warning motion with his gun. Prim walked out onto the stage. She was clutching herself and trembling. Eyes darting over the crowd looking for her sister.

"And Primrose Everdeen" The woman's words were like nails on a chalk board, setting the archer's teeth on edge.

"Prim!" She lunged forward at the stage, unsure of what she would do once she got there. Gale grabbed her waist - shouting something at her. She couldn't hear him, his words sounded so far away. Prim was the only thing she could focus on. Peacekeepers were rushed at her to hold her back, their shouts mingling with Gale's. Prim looked at her elder sister and started to cry. _Cato will see that. He'll see it as weakness, he'll see her as prey. _Her vision began to blur. She had to do something. If she rushed the stage, the peacekeepers would kill her and Gale both. Who would feed their families? Who would take care of Prim?

It seemed as if time had stopped. The solution to her problem suddenly seemed so obvious. Gale would take care of Prim - because Katniss would be taking her place.

She spun around in Gale's arms and kissed him passionately. He didn't have much time to respond as she tore herself away from him, running at the stage. A peacekeeper grabbed her arm, jerking her away.

"I volunteer!" She shouted, her voice hoarse. "I volunteer as a tribute!" The peacekeeper relaxed his hold on her and let her continue forward. Gale was shouting something again. The woman at the podium seemed absolutely thrilled. She opened her mouth in a wide smile.

"Oh my!" She squealed. "District 12's first ever volunteer." She looked back at a grungy looking blonde man. "And a tribute, at that!"

Prim gaped, shocked at Katniss as she was escorted up onto the stage. They helped the young girl down the stairs. She ran into Gale's arms, looking back at her sister. If Katniss thought she looked scared before, she was terrified now. She looked up at Gale. She had never seen him look so lost. At some point his lip had been bloodied and the red liquid was now smeared across his chin. She hoped it wasn't caused by her. She took her place on the platform, looking around blankly, like some sort of simpleton. Her eyes met Peeta's. He was as stunned by her outburst as she was, apparently.

"What is your name, darling." The woman asked her, putting the microphone in front of her face.

"Kat-" Her voice disappeared, squeaking out the '-niss'. She tried again. "Katniss - Everdeen"

"Oh my." The woman purred. "Am I correct in assuming that that girl was your sister?"

Katniss nodded, not trusting herself to speak. The woman returned to her place at the podium.

"There you have it!" She was unable to contain her excitement at this point, she was bouncing on her ridiculously high heels. "Your champion, Peeta Mellark; and the disciple of a false god, your tribute, Katniss Everdeen!"

Katniss smelled the thick scent of alcohol before she felt a heavy arm fall across her shoulders. She looked over into the face of the dirty blonde man. He was too drunk to be able to focus fully on her, but he did manage to slur out, "That was really stupid, what you just did." Before vomiting at her feet and collapsing onto the floor. A Capitol man in a black suit started dragging her into the building behind them. She took a last look at Gale. His expression hadn't changed. She needed to say something, anything, to remove that expression of guilt and sorrow from his handsome face. So she said what they had always taken for granted, so never thought to say.

"I love you." And she was forced into the building. He didn't have time to respond before the door was closed behind her.

…

She stood in an empty office. There was a chair in the corner, and a much more comfortable looking one behind the desk, but she couldn't find it in herself to sit. Her rational mind was off floating somewhere and she was afraid she wouldn't be there to catch it at its return if she sat down. She heard the door open behind her and she spun around. Prim stood gaping at her. She ran to her sister. Katniss embraced her when they collided. Stroking her hair.

The girl's dress was dirty. She had obviously been dragged through the mud. Katniss didn't want to ask how she got caught. She didn't want Prim to think she was blaming her.

"Mom couldn't -" The girl started, but Katniss shushed her.

"Stay alive, Prim." She said. "You can sell cheese from your goat." Prim nodded. "You can trade with Gale at the Hob."

"I love you, Katniss." Katniss smiled at her.

"I love you too, little duck."

"I - I have to go, we don't have very long with you." The girl said.

Katniss' heart broke. This would probably be the last time she ever saw her sister. There were no parting words of wisdom she could think of, no great philosophical insights. This seemed hollow. Empty.

"Go see Peeta." She finally. "I don't think he has anyone."

Prim gave her a sad smile and nodded, giving her one last hug before exiting the room.

They sent in Gale next. He was distraught. The cut on his lip had closed and he had wiped the blood off. He put his arms around her waist and they kissed, her arms draping around his neck.

"I really do love you, you know?" She whispered against his ear. He kissed her again at the words.

"Yeah. And I really love you." His voice hoarse. He kept her held close to him, only removing an arm from around her to pull something from under the front of his shirt. It was their Lady's token. She shook her head, pushing it away when he tried to place it in her hand.

"Take it." He said. There was no question in his voice. He pulled the necklace over her head. The rough twine itching her neck. She analyzed the token for the first time. It was made of a hard stone. Etched into its surface was the image of a mockingjay catching an arrow. It was symbolic, she knew. She tried to decipher its meaning.

"Take care of them, Gale." She told him. "Don't let them starve, don't let Prim sign up for tesserae."

"I won't." He promised her. His voice was cracking again. The light from the window swimming in his eyes. _"I haven't cried since my dad died." _He had told her, many years ago when they had first met. But now standing before her, he was displaying a lot of emotions she never thought him capable of possessing. He looked vulnerable, and for the first time, he was the one who needed _her _comfort. She hated that she did this to him. She hated the Capitol for doing this to all of them. He put his forehead to hers. Hands cradling the back of her head and the small of her back.

"Please don't die." He whispered, eyes closed.

She closed hers as well. She thought of the dragon from District 2. She thought of how his flames had engulfed Prim in her dream. About what they would now do to her.

"I won't." She lied. She heard Gale suck in a shaky breath. She couldn't bear to look.

Then she felt him being pulled away from her. She did open her eyes for that. A peacekeeper had a hold of his arm, escorting him out the door.

"I love you." He said again.

"I love you too."

"And remember, I -" And the door shut behind him.

A few minutes later she was escorted out of the office and onto a train leaving for the Capitol.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks all for reviewing! I've been getting some a reaction along the lines of "?" from quite a number of you and I was wondering what exactly was confusing? I'm trying to balance flow of the story with exposition and I cut some lore from my own universe in favor of keeping focus on the characters. I'm looking for a beta to catch all this stuff for me but I'll try to explain everything better in the future.

Katniss looked around her compartment. Her room on the train was huge, with luxuries she had never imagined existed. She spent the first hour of her time here touching all the buttons, sniffing the perfumes, running her hands across the soft fabrics. She had explored the train and met her very drunk mentor. Haymitch, she had learned his name was. She hoped he would have sobered up since she last saw him on the stage. No such luck. She lay on the bed now. She had never felt something so comfortable. She had never had a pillow. _Gale would love this._ She smiled to herself.

Despite the man's Spartan and outdoorsy nature, he was a sucker for creature comforts. For months he had turned in almost all of his catch, keeping just enough to feed his family, for coin until he was finally able to haggle a stolen mattress from the Hob. He then proceeded to set their old bedding (which was composed of dried leaves bound under a threadbare sheet) of fire. The satisfied glint she saw in his eye as he did so amused her. She giggled at the memory. He had then thrown her over his shoulder to take her into the hut so that he could toss her on their new bed and do the most _wonderful_ things with his tongue. Her face was hot. She rested her hand on her stomach, _I don't have time to think about these things now._ She thought instead about the blonde boy inhabiting the train with her. Should she start an alliance with him, or was it smarter just to stay away? He seemed too innocent, too nice to survive. She cursed his mother for crippling him in the Reaping. The gentle soul didn't deserve a place in the Games. Her heart went out to him, but she knew she couldn't have him weighing her down. She needed to get back to Prim and Gale. She had to kill Cato.

She heard a rapid tapping at the door before it opened. "Dinner time, Katniss." The Capitol woman, Effie, chimed. Katniss sighed before rolling out of the comfort of the bed.

…

Dinner had been uneventful up to that point. Effie blathered on about the Games, about how she had worked so hard all year to get District 12 the best stylist, even petitioning to get them the penthouse suite at the training center. District 12 had so few victors, after all, and it was about time the Capitol gave them a pick-me-up. She went on and on about the amenities the suite afforded, and how several additions had been made to it this year at her request. The head game maker was so generous, she told them.

"He's a close, personal friend of mine." She giggled. Katniss gave the woman's skimpy dress a once over. _I'm sure._ Seneca this - Seneca that, the woman gushed over him.

Peeta was trying to seem interested. He made small talk with the woman, laughing at her stupid jokes and making a few of his own. Katniss didn't even pretend to care. Instead, she studied Haymitch. He had been staring forlornly into a glass of a pungent amber liquid since dinner had began. He was deep in thought, Katniss noticed. Defeat weighed heavy on his head. It stooped his shoulders, it hooded his eyes. The man reminded her of her mother just after her father died. He should be training them- teaching them how to survive, not ignoring them, but it seemed wrong to drag him from his thoughts. The man closed his eyes, the hopelessness melted from his face and when he opened them again it was with a look of annoyance.

"So what's your advice?" Katniss asked.

He turned to look at her. "Advice on what?" Katniss was shocked. _What does he mean 'advice on what'?_

"Advice on how to get through the Games!" She said incredulously. "We have to face Cato, we need to know what to do." Then, "You're our mentor, you're supposed to tell us this stuff and you've just been sitting there wasting yourself all night." Effie and Peeta were still and silent as she and Haymitch stared each other down.

"Survive." Haymitch scoffed before finishing his drink and getting up to leave.

The girl stared after him, shocked. _Unbelievable._ She should probably have found it troubling that her first instinct was to grab her steak knife from the table and throw it in the direction of his head. It stuck in the doorframe next to his retreating form.

"Katniss!" Effie exclaimed. Katniss ignored her. Haymitch looked back at the girl, impressed by her reaction. A smile formed on his lips.

"Looks like we got a fighter this year, Effie." He stumbled back to Katniss, clapping her hard on the shoulder and chuckling. "Be in here for breakfast at 6." He said before sauntering back down the hall and locking himself in his room with the slam of the door.

…

Katniss was curled under the covers plotting to herself. She thought of all the survival skills she would need to brush up on. She obviously needed to work on knife throwing - she had missed Abernathy's head by at least two feet. She and Gale had been on a knife throwing kick for about a year when they first met. They had seen gypsies practicing on moving targets and thought it was the coolest thing they had ever seen. It turns out the skill was awesome, but impractical from a hunting stand point. They wanted a clean kill; not to maim the beasts they slew. But humans were a different sport all together. Knives made an invaluable, hard-hitting ranged weapon. She ran through edible and poisonous plants in her head. _Maybe poison darts or something._ She twisted the tail of her braid in her fingers. No, acquiring the supplies would take her far too long.

Of course, this would all be for naught if she couldn't kill Cato. Her unique title as tribute put her in a difficult position. While all Peeta would have to do was survive until the end, she would have to kill Cato before anyone else could get to him. And if she couldn't do that - if someone (or some_thing_) else got to him first - well, she would just have to take their place as sacrifice to the Pantheon. Peeta, or whoever, could go home - they would never have to face the games again.

She looked at the clock. It was getting very late and she had to be up early. She rolled over and tried to clear her mind. The bed felt empty without Gale's presence, she longed to snuggle up to his warmth, to feel his weight on the bed next to her. She hadn't slept alone since she was very young. She had slept next to Gale for the past four years, and before that she slept next to Prim. She supposed that she had better get used to it. She had far worse things waiting for her in the Capitol than sleeping alone.

…

Katniss was relieved to find a moderately sober Haymitch at the breakfast table that morning. Peeta had woken her up about a half hour early, walking her through the controls on the shower before leaving her to it. He gave her a friendly smile as she entered the dining car. The capitol clothes they had given her hugged her curves in a way to which she was not accustomed. She pulled at the blouse, twisting it trying to put it in a more comfortable position.

"Sleep well?" The man asked. _No. _She nodded. She wasn't used to waking up at dawn. She also wasn't used to getting so little sleep. She fought back a yawn.

The man went over the pre-game activities they would be taking part in. He detailed the parade and how they would all have to greet and bow to the current victor.

"You _have_ to do it." He added, giving Katniss a suspicious look. He rightly pegged her for someone who would refuse to bow. "It's a sign of respect for _him_, not reverence for the Pantheon." Haymitch took a bite of toast. "And you _should_ respect him, what he's accomplished is no easy feat." Katniss thought to ask her mentor more about the boy, but let him continue.

He told them about the training facility and how they would be training in a group with the other champions. "Don't show them your strengths, that's very important." He leaned in. They had to keep their skills a secret, it was one way to gain the upper hand. Their patrons would be watching as well. He then told them about the interview with Caesar Flickerman. This part was what concerned Katniss the most. She wasn't a social person, her isolation had rendered it almost impossible to relate to other people. She imagined herself up in front of an audience, trying to be personable, trying to smile. Her face fell.

"Doing well in the interview is the best way to get sponsors." Haymitch told them. Her shoulders sagged. Haymitch looked at her. "I'm going to have to coach you a little bit more on this. You need to know what you can and can't say in front of a Capitol audience." She had assumed he would say that. She hadn't exactly been shy about her views on the Capitol in the district. News had obviously gotten around to Haymitch.

He discussed the Games next, his demeanor had become grim. "Run for high ground, find water." His eyebrows shot up "And don't start a fire, that's only good for getting yourself killed."

"What about Cato." Peeta asked. Haymitch took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering.

"He made quick work of the last Games for a good reason." He pushed the food around on his plate. "He's gifted by Marcus himself. He's a devout follower." Most District 2 citizens were. It was the only district that didn't officially rebel. It's political classes aided the Capitol in the war, while it's laborer citizens, the rebels, were enslaved to make weapons for the Pantheon's armies. Thus it was the only district with the patronage of one of the Pantheon. The god of war, naturally.

"Yeah, but his fire - are there any limitations?" Peeta seemed like a different person in the context of this conversation. His mind was a whir of strategy and Katniss was rethinking her plans to abandon the boy.

Haymitch thought for a bit, rubbing at his chin. "He has to recuperate after he does it." He said, "I think it drains him, or damages him somehow. He doesn't talk about it." The man was nodding to himself. "Yeah, he can't do it rapid fire. Once he's done, that's it."

Peeta sat back, letting out a deep breath. He met Katniss' eyes before looking back at their mentor.

"Is there anything that can protect you from it?" She asked. Haymitch shrugged.

"Nothing I've seen, sorry I can't help you there."

The rest of the day was spent schooling them on what skills they should be building when they reached the training center. He told Katniss to practice her eye contact and to smile more when she was talking. He practiced a bit with her but threw up his hands in defeat when the challenge proved too much. "Personality of a block of wood." He had told her.

…

She and Peeta made their way back down the hall toward their quarters in somber silence. The boy wore his feelings on his sleeve, she could see, his face was a flurry of emotions. Worry, determination, sadness, hope, anger, elation. She wondered what he was thinking. One thing in particular had been sitting on her mind since she saw him at the opening ceremony.

"Why did you help Prim?" He looked at her, eyes wide, questioning.

"I saw you digging for food." He said, eyes now downcast. "She looked so pitiful and I knew you had been run out of town again so I burnt some bread and brought it to her." He gave her a shy smile. "I guess I figured she needed all the help she could get." Katniss smiled back.

"Why did you break into my house?" He asked her. She tried to cover her blush with her hair.

"I wanted to thank you." She said. "I didn't know how to do it though." He laughed. "I just figured that even if I didn't say anything at least I would turn into an sort of bogeyman."

"Like Gale?" The color drained from his face after he said this.

"What about Gale?" Peeta stiffened.

Peeta let out a slow breath. "I mean, everybody that knows him knows better. The peacekeepers just started saying that he, like," He tried to find the right words. "I mean to keep anyone else from going near him..." He offered, shrinking away from her glare. "He um, eats kids?" Katniss glowered. "I mean, everyone knows he turns into that bear thing. The peacekeepers just, like, started threatening kids with him when they caught them out after dark."

"So they're saying he's some sort of monster?"

"Yeah." Peeta mumbled

They came up on her room and she slammed the door open.

"Goodnight, Peeta." She growled.

"_I_ know he's not like that." He tried to backpedal. "That's just what the peacekeepers say."

"I know, Peeta." She told him, "I'm not mad at _you_, I'm just mad." She then started backing him out of her room and toward the door. "And I don't like talking when I'm mad." And with that, she shut the door in his face.

…

_Indignant_. Indignant was the word she was looking for. She stormed around her room moving her belongings from place to place, slamming things down on counters. In the forest, when she was angry she would go hunting, or stomping around. Here she didn't know what to do, so she just settled for handling fragile looking jars, assuring the little things that she had more power over them than their tiny glass brains could possibly imagine. She could crush them with a tap of her fingers. _How dare they. How _dare_ they?! _She threw a small metal container at the wall, breaking the mechanism keeping it closed. Tiny green beads spilled out onto the floor, light skittering sounds echoing through the room. She heard the door open.

"I said not now, Peeta!" She shouted at the figure.

"It ain't Peeta." She heard the voice of her mentor.

"They're telling people Gale's some sort of ravenous beast, can you believe that?!" He put up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"The audacity of some people." He shook his head in disgust.

"Yes! All he ever does is try to help the people in the Seam and this is what he gets? Peacekeepers making up lies." She kicked the beads across the floor "_Horrible_ lies."

"I honestly have no idea who you're talking about." She glared at the older man. "But if it makes you shut up, I'm willing to listen."

"Go away."

"You know, you are the most sullen and uncommunicative person I've ever met." Haymitch gave her a sarcastic smile. "I guess that's a gift in it's own right." His words sounded slurred. Katniss figured he had started drinking again. "But listen, it's almost midnight and some people are tryin' to sleep, so if you're gonna tear up your room, do it more quietly, okay?" Then he turned and left.

…

Two days later they were arriving in the Capitol. It was huge. The shimmering city skyline stood in stark contrast to a deep, blue lake. _More like a sea._ She thought. No, "huge" didn't do it justice. The place was _massive_. The train slowed into a busy station. Haymitch and Effie led the two of them onto the platform, paparazzi and journalist clambered to speak to them. Cameras flashed in her eyes, blinding her. A microphone was shoved into her chest.

"What's it like to be the first tribute in twelve years?" A mousy, green-haired woman asked.

"Uh -" Katniss gaped before being dragged off and out to a waiting limousine.

The buildings loomed over their vehicle as it moved through the streets, Katniss tried to look up at them from her window, unable to see their full size. There were extravagantly dressed men and women crowding the streets congregating in front of large screens like the one back in 12. Scantily clad women and heavily modified men advertised clothing and beauty products she found personally repulsive. Two young women, one magenta-themed with teeth filed to points, the other with whiskers clad in a tight black body suit stood posed next to a holographic representation of Cato while a thin man took their picture. Katniss' previous feeling of awe quickly dissipated. _The Games are something to celebrate out here._

She couldn't say she was surprised. She had never thought deeply about it, but when she imagined the Capitol during the Games, she had always imagined the citizens finding it quite humdrum. But as they drove past the stores and restaurants, she saw banners and illustrations with the Games' insignia. People with Hunger Games themed clothing chatted idly in chairs outside of cafes, sipping coffee, not caring that they were supporting a slow genocide.

She saw that they were coming to the end of the wall of skyscrapers and into a clearing. Peeta shifted in his seat to get a better look. They entered into what looked like a large meadow. Immaculately trimmed trees dotted the landscape. The citizens picnicking and chatting here were more traditionally dressed. Their clothing held a certain class to it, it was almost regal. She saw fountains off in the background centered in small ponds.

"Wow." She heard Peeta from his side of the car. He grabbed at her sleeve. "Katniss, look." She turned to see what he was referring to, scooting closer to him. A _huge_ stadium stood in the distance. Bright lights shone from its roof, a large banner flowed in the wind down its side, welcoming all to the 74th Hunger Games.

"That's where we're headed." Haymitch told them. They just sat there, jaws hanging open staring at it.

As they approached it, she and Peeta could grasp the full scale of the thing. It had to be more than three miles across with another mile of metallic parking garages spanning off in all directions. Twisting ramps took up space in between the figures, giving entrance and exit to the stadium proper. They entered one of the towers and began to climb, the screech of their tires echoing through the levels. The orange lighting cast an eerie glow in the compartment, like fire licking at their bodies. They went higher and higher, the constant turning motion of the car making Katniss feel sick. When they were at least ten levels up, she started to see signs of life. Stylish, glittering people hauled heavy bags and cases from the backs of vans, while still others carried dresses and suits wrapped in plastic. They parked. Katniss stomach churned. _This is really happening, we're really here… This is really about to happen_. She was helped out of the vehicle by one of the pixies. She was wearing very tight silver pants with a lime green faux leather vest. The skin of her arms was dyed in intricate patterns with the same bright green color as her vest. Her bleached blonde hair was gelled flat to her head.

"Oh my gosh!" She grabbed Katniss' chin roughly. "Look at those eyes!" She forced her to turn her head in the direction of a purple-themed man next to her.

"Ohh, girl, you are going to look stunning!" The other man gave her a coquettish wink. Effie stood behind him beaming. Then they looped their arms around hers and guided her in the direction of a large set of double doors. They passed a group including two champions, neither of them looked very threatening. They looked nervously around them as a man and woman she assumed to be their mentors gave them a motivational talk. Effie had run ahead (as fast as her heels could take her) and was now speaking to a dark-skinned, and very stylishly dressed, man. He was the only person she had seen in the Capitol that actually dressed like he was sane and not conforming to some ridiculous fad. He smiled at her as they approached.

"What do you think?" The blonde asked, smile evidenced in her voice.

The dark man held out his hand to her, "My name's Cinna." He said, giving her a warm smile. His voice was smooth and melodic, like her father's had been so long ago. She relaxed slightly and she took his offered hand, shaking it.

"Katniss." She said.

He introduced himself to Peeta as well, and the two teens were escorted through the doors and into what looked like a medical recovery room. Cloth curtains surrounded preparation areas. Other champions were poked and prodded, hair was being plucked and ripped from all over their bodies. Katniss saw one girl gasp, opening her mouth in a silent scream as wax ripped hair from her underarms. Katniss' eyes watered thinking about it. Another girl walked stiffly to another station from her place behind a curtain, legs bowed waddling slightly, her fellow district mate eyeing the station she had been removed from in horror. He tried to back away, but his pixies grabbed him

"Nobody likes to see a jungle down there." The fur clothed woman scolded.

"Why would they see _that_?!" The boy cried. He was pushed down onto a metal table and the curtain was closed behind him. "Can't you just trim it?!" She heard him plead before he yelped in pain. She didn't like this at all.

She and Peeta were checked in before being led through a side door. There was a wall dividing the room into two sides, they were separated at this point, the pixies leading her to the right, Peeta to the left. They stripped her and showed her into the shower.

Before shutting the door, the blond one said "Just close your eyes and accept your fate." She thought this was particularly cruel, and looked at her hurt. Katniss saw her push a button and suddenly jets of water were rushing at her from all sides. She screamed, startled and shut her eyes tightly. _Oh, that's what she meant._ The water tasted soapy. She tried to block it from hitting her face.

"Whoa!" She heard Peeta shriek from the other side of the wall followed by a thud and a roar of laughter.

Just as suddenly as the water had hit her, it stopped. "Hold your breath!" One of the pixies yelled to her. This time she did as she was told. A great gust of air was drying her off quickly. At one point she let go of the breath she had been holding and it became very difficult to breathe. Before it got _too_ difficult, the dryer stopped and she was let out of the tank, hair hanging in all directions. She was put in something akin to a hospital gown and, after having her hair brushed down, she was led back into the prep room.

A woman scrubbed her face with some sort of cleaning solution and applied a moisturizer while another tended to the nails of her hands and feet. The woman cleaning her face then shaped her eyebrows, Katniss winced as the hair was ripped from her sensitive flesh. A sticker on the woman's supply case said "Beauty is Pain" Katniss found it fitting her profession. The next station had a much more masculine man than she was anticipating wax the hair from her legs and underarms, he rubbed a clear liquid over her arms and she saw the hair there fade to a pale blonde. The liquid dried on to her skin. The only bit she really enjoyed was the facial station. They tended to her face, removing any blemishes and clearing her pores. While here, a young woman removed any calluses and rough edges from her hands and feet. It was gentle and she felt herself starting to drift off when she was taken to stand on the outside of the intimidating curtain the boy had disappeared behind earlier.

She shuffled nervously and looked around. Most of the other champions had already been taken to the next stage of their preparation for the parade. The room was mostly empty and had grown quiet. She heard the unmistakable sound of hair being waxed from skin and a soft whimper. She then heard shuffling, the sound of someone standing up from the table and the curtain pulled back. Peeta's cheeks were red and he was limping slightly. He just shook his head at her to the question in her eyes and moved on to another station. She gazed warily at the table at the station. The pixie patted it lightly. She hesitantly stepped forward. She was told to lie back so she did.

The tiny woman grabbed Katniss' knees and pulled them up so that her feet were flat on the table. She then lifted the gown the girl was wearing up to her waist. Katniss scrambled to pull it back down but the woman shushed her and smacked her hands away. She then applied the hot wax to Katniss' pubic region and the girl laid back slowly, gripping the sides of the table. The woman patted the cloth strip down into the wax and pulled. Katniss was about to let out a startled yelp before realizing that it hadn't really hurt. The burning afterward was minimal so she soldiered on through the rest of the procedure. It was very sore to stand, however and when she pulled back the curtain, it was to face her prep team. They pulled her into a group hug and she awkwardly patted their backs, trying to match their enthusiasm, then they led her through the hallway at the end of the room and into her dressing room.

They combed out her hair and began to knot it and pin it into a tight, romantic style. After they had finished with that, they applied a pale foundation and a glossy coat to her nails before saying their farewells and chattering with each other in the hall. There was a dark bodysuit hanging on the door behind her. She turned to examine it. It looked like a deep red in this light, there was a barely noticeable orange metallic coating painted to the back. As she shifted to get a better look, the coating danced as if on fire. She would have examined it further but the door opened and Cinna smiled down at her.

"I hope the butchers in the prep room didn't mess you up too bad." He chuckled "Peeta was traumatized, I think." She laughed at this.

"I think I'm still in one piece." She assured him as he started applying a dark liner to her eyes. She was silent as she watched herself transform. The black liner and eye shadow gave her a face and aura of mystery, and the dark red lipstick reminded her of the gypsies. He added a powder to her cheeks to give them definition and a shimmering powder around her eyes. Then, unsurprisingly, he began to cover the tattoo on her neck with the liquid foundation. He grabbed a tube from the counter in front of her and pulled off the cap, revealing a large felt tip. It was wet, she could see, and she wondered what it could be for when he put it to her neck, adding definition to the ink that was barely visible under the foundation.

"Why are you doing that?" She asked him.

"Because it makes you look dangerous." He said. "You'll be going in front of the Champion of Marcus tonight." He stopped to shake the pen. "Tonight I'm going to make him fear you. You'll have plenty of chances to kiss up to the Capitol later." He smiled. She blinked in surprise, but didn't question him.

When he finished he handed her a bra and a strange looking pair of underwear and asked her to get dressed and come get him when she was done. Once he had gone she removed her gown and pulled the shorts up. They were apparently designed to make her hips and butt look fuller. The bra pushed her breasts up and in, they looked much larger - almost unnatural looking on her small frame. She looked back at the bodysuit. You wouldn't even be able to see her cleavage in the thing, so why she had to wear this ridiculous bra was beyond her. She hoped Cinna knew what he was doing. She unzipped the back of the thing and stepped in to it. It had several adjacent holes with strings looped through them down her front and up the sides of her legs. Their purpose was unclear to her. She zipped it back up as far as she could, struggling to pull the zip past her shoulder blades.

It fit - sort of. It hung loosely from her chest to her knees in a way that made her think her stylist had misjudged her size. _Too late now._ She thought, making her way into the hall. Cinna was nowhere to be seen. She sought out her prep team and asked them for the stylist's whereabouts.

"He's tending to blondie." The purple themed man replied. The green woman started pulling at the strings hanging down her front, tightening the suit significantly.

She smiled proudly at her. "You look fantastic." Her partner nodded.

"The Capitol is going to _love_ you."

The blonde finished the corseting on her front, it squeezed her breasts up further so that one could almost see the cleavage from the open neck of the suit. She looked down at her front. _You still couldn't see anything if you were just standing in front of me._ She watched as the pixies worked together to lace up the ones on her legs.

"You may even earn the favor of his majesty the Champion of Marcus." The violet man fluttered his lashes and made a kissy face at her.

The blonde whispered into her ear, none too quietly, "Puck has this obsession with him."

"I'd love for him to shove his sword into _me_ at the cornucopia." He winked at Katniss. "If you get what I'm saying."

"Yes, I think she's picking up what you're laying down, queen." The blonde rolled her eyes.

"You know, baby doll." Puck roped his arm around Katniss' own. "He has a weakness for foxy ladies such as yourself." He looked down the front of the suit, coming to the same conclusion about it as she had. "I think he's going to like this very much, what with all that bowing."

She just sneered and looked away from him.

"Oh, don't give me that look, _dearie_," He smacked her bottom, startling her. "You'd have to be crazy to turn _that_ down." He drifted off into what could only be a perverted fantasy. She started to shrink back, trying to pull away from the two stylists. "Go on, disagree with me if you can." Puck was back and he looked at her expectantly. She shrugged looking anywhere but his face.

"He's kind of attractive I guess, I mean if he hadn't killed all those other kids he'd probably look a lot better." She shrugged. This conversation was getting uncomfortable.

"No, no, don't say that. Please don't ruin this for me." Puck put a hand over her mouth and closed his eyes, looking up to the ceiling as if in prayer.

"Oh, please, you ruin it for yourself." The blonde scoffed. "Tell her about your last bad boy."

"Shut up, Octavia, you shut up right now."

"And how he treated you badly." She met Katniss' eyes, pulling her in to agree with her. "A big, hunky, bad boy, dream boat." She looked at her companion now. "Made of fart."

"That ship went down flaming." Puck nodded sadly.

They stood there in awkward silence for a time before the purple man perked up.

"Speaking of hunks," Puck wiggled his eyebrows at her. "What's going on between you and the other untouchable back in 12, huh?" He leaned in closer to her. "You know, Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome."

"That's… he's my cousin." She spat out. She didn't want the Capitol tabloids bastardizing the relationship she had with the boy, so she lied.

The pixie's face fell. "Oh… well that was disappointing." He examined his nails for a moment before saying, "But it's only you two out in the woods, right? Did you ever get curious and - "

"Puck!" Octavia squealed. "Shall we not?!" She smacked her companion hard on the back of the head.

Cinna chose that moment to round the corner behind them.

"Quit harassing the girl, she needs to stay focused." He chided his team mates and led Katniss back to the dressing room.

"You don't have to be nervous." He had apparently sensed her tension. "You're gonna knock 'em out." He smiled at her and she returned it as best she could

He moved past her to open a tin with false nails sitting in it. He took her hand and placed a small drop of glue to her nail, placing the acrylic one over it and pressing.

"If you can't look excited, look intimidating." He finished up the nails on her right hand and moved to her left. "And remember, tonight is as much about impressing the Capitol as showing the Victor that you are a force to be reckoned with."

"Well, I don't really suppose it matters." She sighed "If there haven't been any heathen victors before, I doubt there will be any now."

"There've been a few." Cinna grinned. "They just don't like to talk about them." She wasn't sure she believed him. She couldn't recall ever having heard of a heathen winning the Games. The stylist interrupted her train of thought.

"Pagans winning upsets the status quo." He began "But they usually beat the odds."

"How many have there been?" She was curious now.

"About three. But there have only been five in the Games." He quickly added "Six, counting you of course." She was still hesitant to believe him. After all, he may have just said that to cheer her up.

…

"You're going to do great." Cinna told them before returning to the dressing area. He had led her and Peeta to a stable with the other champions. Chariots were lined up down the center and faced a large wooden door. Trainers were harnessing horses to the chariots while the champions talked amongst themselves. She used this time to take them all in. Their costumes all seemed to represent some aspect of their district, the male and female from District 1 were clothed in soft furs and sheer fabrics. Heavy gold and silver jewelry draped over their necks and shoulders and gem stones studded the sleeves of their tops. Katniss watched the girl closely. She was speaking to her partner in hushed tones while her eyes scanned over the other people in the room.

The girl from 2 stood alone, Cato had apparently already taken his place at the head of the stadium. There was a harsh looking girl standing alone in the shadows in the corner. Her bright red hair was cropped close to her head and her eyes were a steely blue. Katniss had remembered seeing her in the coverage of the Reaping from the train. She was a brutal, crude girl from District 5 that had lunged forward to volunteer. She stood proudly on the stage and looked every bit the warrior the current victor was. She wore a crown made of thin glass spikes and her dull dress was bound up around her with a shiny, ropey material.

A man with a headset and a clip board started hurrying the District 1 Champions onto the chariot and started a countdown for when to open the wooden door. The other champions started taking their places in the chariots and Katniss and Peeta followed suit. The man was counting down aloud until he got to "four" and then he went silent, simply mouthing the words. The wooden door opened and the District 1 chariot rolled forward. Katniss heard the thunderous roar of the crowd. _How big is that audience?_ She suddenly felt very nervous. Peeta leaned against the side of the chariot, not anxious in the slightest. Katniss fiddled with the strings on her front, tugging some loose and then pulling them back in to lay tight. It was a good exercise in mediation. She was about to start fiddling with the ones on her legs when the chariot lurched forward. She grabbed the sides to steady herself and she felt Peeta place his hand on her back to keep her from falling. He pulled at her arms to let go of the chariot before they left the stable.

She had to fight back the bile rising in her throat. She felt like a small animal trapped in a cage - spectators jeering and prodding at her . She wanted to curl into a ball and hide. She wanted to fall through the floor.

"We're on top of the Arena." Peeta told her. _Ok, maybe not through the floor._ She looked down. They were on top of a large metal floor. She supposed that was the only place they really could be. The Arena had a false sky, she knew, but she had never thought that the parade took place on top of that very sky. _I guess it does. _She looked up to their destination. There was yet another screen with the real time image of Cato sitting on a throne atop a huge staircase, his expression bored. The District 8 Champions were kneeling, each in their turn, before him. The victor's crown was upon his head and he was decked in thick furs - the first natural ones Katniss had seen in the Capitol. His chest was exposed to show his scars, ornate patterns signifying hammer and sword. The scars were even and smooth, not jagged like Gale's. They had been placed there by a practiced hand with a tool meant for the job, not a dull piece of metal.

District 9 was bowing now and the crowd roared again. Peeta grabbed Katniss hand and she jerked it away. He made to grab it again. "Trust me." He said. She reluctantly acquiesced and he raised their joined hands in the air in a gesture of triumph. Now it was them the audience screamed for. She let out a relieved sigh. They had stolen the thunder of the champions from 10 who now walked to their place on the stage. Their chariot pulled up to the grand staircase and they stepped out. Another round of applause from the crowd told her District 11 had paid their respects and she and Peeta began their climb. _That's quite a walk._ She though to herself. Peeta was ahead of her breathing heavily, she noticed. Her tight outfit made the climb harder than it should have been, but she reached the summit eventually and watched as Peeta kneeled before Cato.

This was the first time she had seen him in person. He was larger now than he had seemed on the screen. What she had thought to be a bored expression now proved to be a disgusted scowl. He had his chin resting on his fist. And seemed to regard Peeta with the same attitude as a wolf circling it's prey. Katniss felt insulted that he could judge the boy in such a way. Peeta moved to their platform further down the stage and Katniss took his place. She hesitated for a moment, sizing up the brute and returning his glare before dropping to one knee in front of him. _"He has a weakness for foxy ladies such as yourself." _She swallowed her pride and angled herself so he might get a view down her front. Then she looked up at him. The scowl was still there, but there was something else underneath it. Confusion? He was scrutinizing her. Observing her every movement, her every action. She stood and saw as his eyes briefly flickered to her neck. His jaw was tense. His eyes followed her as she turned to take her place by Peeta before looking ahead again. Cato dropped his arms and when she was on the District 12 platform he stood.

His voice sounded younger than she had expected and he had some kind of device upon his person that amplified it, but she couldn't see it on him. "Citizens of Panem, I give you your Champions." The crowd surged. "In one week's time, each of these young men and women will fight bravely for the glory of the gods and for the honor of their districts." A small pillar rose up from the floor as he gave what must have been a well rehearsed speech. He took the crown from his head and placed it on the pedestal. "The 74th Hunger Games have begun!" He looked to either side of him, eyes lingering on his District partner, then he said, as if directly to her "Fight well, Champions. And may the will of the gods be ever in your favor."

The floor where the chariots sat suddenly became transparent. Katniss watched, wide-eyed as what appeared to be a forest lit up beneath it. _Peeta was right._ She was awestruck by the sheer scale of the thing. She had imagined it would be large, but not like _this._ Toward the center she saw a lake and the vague shape of the cornucopia. She swallowed, thinking about what was going to take place in the arena below her.

A/N: The Girl on Fire motif will come into play later. Right now, however, setting people on fire is sort of Cato's thing and it would be detrimental to Katniss' sponsorship if she were seen as _being on fire. _You know what I mean?

And for those of you confused about gifted characters, as there isn't anywhere in the future chapters I could find to really get this thoroughly explained - gods gift certain people that they think have the potential to bring them great honor. Poloma is essentially Artemis and is the goddess of the hunt, thus fluffy Gale can honor her more greatly by being more efficient at hunting than a normal person (although Katniss is still much better at the more weapons-based hunting). And Cato's fire can better injure or maim enemies for the God of War than most normal people so… there.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Thank you to all who reviewed! Even just a ':3' means a lot.

***Trigger warning* **Sexual assault and triggering language. ****** denotes triggery parts

After the parade they were led back to their stylists who quickly changed them into formal wear. Katniss understood the reasoning behind the bra now. Her breasts swelled out of the top, filling out the bust nicely. Her dress was made of a deep emerald green silk with golden trim. The arms had transparent, open sleeves. And while the dress seemed to have a closed skirt, when she walked, she noticed the front opened up slightly to just above her knees. Cinna unpinned her hair until it fell in bunches over her bare shoulder. Then he clipped little white flowers into the knots. The whole transformation process took about five minutes, but she thought the results were stunning. Peeta agreed, giving her the thumbs up and a rakish grin when he saw her.

"Wow." He whistled looking down at his own outfit. "I feel way underdressed." She wanted to smile, but once again decided that it would be best for both of them if they just didn't get attached. A bubbly woman from the Capitol came and collected the champions, leading them to a ballroom. It was themed in beige and brown, the lighting was dimmed to give an illusion of privacy. They were told by a very important looking man that this would be their chance to mingle with other champions to build alliances, decide strategies, and generally get to know your opponent. The man met her eyes.

"To know your enemy, is to know their weakness." He gave her a small smile.

…

She was handed a glass of wine and left to her own devices. She pulled at her dress awkwardly, she had no idea how to even begin talking to these people. She eavesdropped the girls from 1 and 5 as they seemed to have the best idea of what they were doing. They flirted shamelessly some of the male champions. Making small talk. Joking and laughing. The girl from 1, Glimmer, started cozying up the stern looking boy from 11. _Maybe that's the wrong angle for me._ Katniss took a large drink from her glass, accepting a refill from one of the staff. She was sure she seemed a nervous wreck. She eventually got up the courage to begin a conversation with two young girls. The whole conversation went better than expected. One of the girls had been listening in on the conversations of the champions from Districts 1 and 2. She heard about their alliance and their strategy for taking down the other champions. The littlest one, Rue, suggested the three team up. The other girl took in Katniss with suspicion before rejecting the idea. Rue looked disappointed as the girl turned away from them. She reminded Katniss so much of Prim. She looked up at Katniss, pleading.

"I really am useful. I know a lot of useful herbs." She thought a minute before adding, "And I can climb and I can hide, I make a really good spy."

Katniss smiled. "I'll keep you in mind."

…

Katniss took a seat at one of the tables, resting her head on her folded arms. She was feeling slightly giddy from the wine and needed a moment to collect herself. Another girl about her age took a seat next to her. Her hair looked unkempt, her clothes ragged and worn, not at all like the other guests.

"Neat party." She said taking a drink of Katniss' half empty glass. She winced at the bitter liquid before choking it down. "That was fun, and I don't regret it at all." She mumbled. Her face was still screwed up in disgust. Katniss raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm sorry, who are you exactly." She asked the girl. The young woman perked up at this.

"Oh, I'm your biggest fan." She giggled conspiratorially. She grabbed Katniss' hand from her lap and began shaking it enthusiastically. "I'm so proud of you for stepping up to protect your sister. Seriously, I nearly cried when she stepped out onto the stage - and that's saying a lot." She grabbed a roll from a basket on the table and stuffed it - whole - into her mouth. Katniss was terribly confused. Perhaps she had had far too much to drink. She looked around the room to see if anyone else had noticed the girl. "I don't think I've cried in at least a decade." The girl continued. "But then you volunteered and I was so proud." She was beaming. "Because I knew you could do it. I knew if anyone could survive - win - the Games, it was you." She rested her hand on Katniss cheek and looked, for all the world, like a proud mother. "And Gale would never admit it, but he's proud too. I just thought you should know."

"How do you know Gale?" Her eyes narrowed. She eyed a butter knife lying next to the basket of rolls. The girl pulled something from a string braided into her hair. It looked like Gale's token. No - It _was_ Gale's token. "Have you been sneaking around my room?!" Katniss hissed, grabbing the knife. She pulled the girl close to her so as to conceal the weapon pressed to her stomach. "Where did you get that?!"

"It's mine." The girl thumbed it, seemingly undisturbed by Katniss' threat to her life. "They won't let me watch you during your training, and I thought now would be my only chance to see you." She looked sad. She cupped her hands around the one Katniss was using to hold the knife. "To tell you that I'm always watching out for you." She pulled the knife from Katniss' hand. "That you don't need to spill the blood of the innocent to earn my blessings."

Katniss' eyes widened in realization. She scanned the girl's form for signs of the markings that Gale had carved into his flesh. The bow, the eagle, the arrow. She could see faint outlines through the girl's thin top.

"He's prayed for me to guide you every day since you've been gone." She rolled her eyes. "Several times a day actually its um - it's getting kind of annoying, really." She pursed her lips.

"So what - what's your advice?" Katniss suddenly found her voice. "How do I beat Cato, I mean is there some kind of incantation, some spell that blocks his gift." She felt hope for the first time since before the Reaping.

"Unfortunately no, nothing anyone but his Lord can perform." Katniss' heart sank. So much for hope.

She covered her face with her hands. "Then why are you here?" She felt empty. "If I don't kill Cato, I can't go back home. The Capitol will sacrifice me. _He_ will sacrifice me." She glared up at her Lady. _Why would she torment me like this?_ Why would she remind her of home and all she had to lose, just to tell her that there was no tangible way of winning. Katniss couldn't beat Cato in hand to hand combat and she wasn't sure arrows would even make a difference. He had received body armor early in the Games last year so unless she could kill him at the cornucopia…

"You may have already suspected that it wasn't some cruel twist of fate that led you here, Katniss." The girl's tone was stony. "The odds of your sister getting Reaped were a hundred-to-one. As were the odds of your standing by passively as she was stolen into the Games." Her pale green eyes seemed to pierce straight into the archers soul. "Something - someone maybe - works against you." Katniss felt cold. "The serpent's moving in the void, Katniss. You must have courage - but be watchful for the machinations that work to destroy you." The room was silent, and Katniss looked around to see if anyone had taken notice of the suddenly very intense conversation, but it was as if time was standing still. Champions stood frozen on the spot, drinking and laughing. One boy stood in the corner wiping away tears, Cato had taken notice of him and looked like a lion about to slaughter its prey. Whether the boy had seen the beast, Katniss didn't know. Her Lady had started speaking again.

"The serpent is cunning, Katniss, make no mistake. You must always be on your guard." The woman looked around the room, eyes falling on Cato. "For you never know who he has under his control." And with that she vanished.

Katniss woke with a start, staring down at the white table cloth. She had been dreaming. _Did that really just happen?_ She needed to find Haymitch, to tell him about what she had seen. She got up and hurried toward the elevators, intending to go back to her suite.

_The serpent? _She had only the vaguest knowledge about the being from before her exile. An agent of chaos. The personification of destruction. It's presence created a balance in the gods' creation. _Things _have_ to be destroyed, otherwise creation will just keep filling up the world until there's no room for anything else. _Her father had told her that on one of their hunting trips. But why would it want anything to do with her? Her train of thought was interrupted by a voice to her right

"Ah, Katniss Everdeen. Just who I was looking for." She turned to face the him. "You're the only one I haven't had a chance to speak with yet." The man gave her a friendly smile. He was decked almost entirely in black, just the high collar of a stiff red undershirt giving any hint of color. He had bright blue eyes that stood on stark contrast to his jet black hair. This was by far the least extravagant outfit she had seen since entering the Capitol. The only thing that really stood out about the man was his bizarre facial hair. "Let's sit." He steered her to a quiet table in the corner of the room.

"Might I say, you look divine this evening." He said once they were seated. She blushed, taking a sip from her glass. "Cinna has really outdone himself, you and your partner really stole the show tonight." He leaned in with a conspiratorial look. "And between you and me, I don't think Cato was too pleased."

"Wouldn't want to upset him." Katniss said sarcastically.

"That's no mean feat." The man grinned before taking a drink from his own glass. "Getting to Cato like that, I mean." She shrugged. He was just saying that to make her feel better, she wasn't going to say that though.

"I just wanted to show him that he didn't scare me." That seemed a neutral enough comment.

The man appraised her for a moment. "You know, most people in the Capitol fear heathens like you." He started. "They think you're witches, demons - that you steal their children from their beds and replace them with your own, like fairies."

"That sounds more like the Capitol." Her eyes went wide. She started to back pedal, hoping he wouldn't take offence to her comment. She stumbled over her words. His expression was mostly unreadable, but she saw his eyes darken. "I - I -I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that I just meant -"

"No need to apologize, darling." He was smiling at her again. "I am not so naïve to think that those in the districts appreciate our efforts." His tone was sympathetic now. "It _is _a sacrifice, after all."

Katniss relaxed, crossing her legs. She felt the soft fabric of her dress fall away when she did - the air cooling her drink-flushed skin. Raucous laughter drew her attention away from the man in front of her and back to the group. Peeta was entertaining two women, both with tears of laughter on their cheeks - both obviously very drunk.

"Nor am I a fool." She looked back to him to catch a strange expression flickering from his face. "You have survived in the forest for several years, that takes more than luck." He was serious now. "A Champion of _Marcus_ - a _gifted _Champion of Marcus - views you as a very real threat. He's taken up allies this year, that's something he's never done before." He nodded toward the District 1 boy. "Allies are the strategy of participants who aren't sure they can win."

Katniss was surprised to hear this. She tried to think back and go over every twitch of his eye, every movement, every word the victor had spoken for evidence of this statement, but her mind was hazy and it was fruitless. The boy had to know that the only way she could emerge a victor would be to kill him. Maybe the mystery of her nature had shaken him. She wasn't the standard 12 rabble, after all.

"Perhaps this isn't the best place to talk about such a sensitive subject." He interrupted her train of thought. "And it's too beautiful a night to be stuck in here with all these brownnosers and dead men." She couldn't but agree. The idea of being stuck in here to suck up to the gamemakers and her fellows was not her idea of fun, and an offer to escape it was too good to pass up. She nodded and the man stood.

"Care to join me?" He gestured to glass doors leading to a balcony and offered her his hand. She took it and followed him outside.

**** **He closed the door behind them, checking if anyone had noticed his exit. He sighed before downing his drink. His professional demeanor melted away, he was more relaxed now.

"He teamed up with 1?" She wasn't about to waste this opportunity. "What's his talent, what kind of weapons does he use, what's their strategy?" The man flashed her an impish grin.

"Now, I can't reveal _that_ information. The foreknowledge I dispense is purely speculative." He leaned back against the railing, sitting his empty glass far away from him.

"You just told me that he was forming allies, that's not speculative." She argued. The night air was chilly, she felt goosebumps popping up on her arms and breasts. She crossed her arms tightly, trying to preserve some warmth.

"Speaking in hushed tones while you stare intensely at other participants isn't evidence of an alliance per se." His eyes raked over her form. "It does, however, make for a very strong case." The way he was looking at her now made her uncomfortable. It was like he had been starving for weeks and had just realized that she was edible. She could almost feel his hands on her - it almost had her turning to leave, but he stopped her. "And if he _is_ in an alliance with Marvel, you're going to need all the help you can get." He backed her into a wall out of view from the door. "I can give you that help." The hand he had resting on her hip began to crawl up her side. "For a price."

She gaped at him. "I -" She didn't know what to say. _What_?

"I am the Gamemaster, after all." _Oh._ _Shit_. He wasn't someone she wanted to inconvenience, but she didn't want - whatever this was - even more.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to decline." She tried to push past him, to get back to the party but he pushed her back against the wall.

"Oh, I don't think so." His tone was light. She shoved him hard away from her and started to flee but he grabbed a hold of her arm and, grabbing her neck, slammed her roughly back against the wall. Her vision faded and she was in a daze for a moment as her head collided with stone. "You see, those boys are going to want to do some _very_ bad things to you in the arena. Things I have the power to prevent." His lips were on her neck briefly and one of his hands pulled the top of her dress down, exposing one of her breasts to his prodding fingers. "So this is the better alternative for you in the long run."

"I think I'll risk the arena." She struggled once more, trying to kick him, but her stupid dress got in the way. He smirked before assaulting her neck again. She tore at his clothes, grabbing the back of his collar in attempt to choke him - slow his mouth's descent to her chest. It was of little use. She felt his hands start bunching up the skirt of her dress, pulling it up around her waist. She screamed as loud as she could. This startled him. He closed a hand over her mouth and pressed his body against hers as she continued screaming and struggling against him. Listening for any sign of interruption. When he heard none he smirked at her, mocking her misfortune and ran his free hand up her thigh.

"I know, being from the Capitol, I'm somewhat misinformed, so tell me," He ran his fingers along the rim of her underwear. "Is it true that your Lady's devotees stay virgins?" Katniss felt tears stinging in her eyes. But tried to remain outwardly stoic. He pressed his lips to her ear lobe, nipping it lightly. He started to push her panties down past her hips. They hung on her thighs and his fingers ran across her slit. She clawed at his face shouting obscenities through his hand. "A simple 'yes' will do." He shoved the underwear the rest of the way down her legs and lifted her out of them.

In the light of the lamp beside them she could see a shadow on his neck where his collar had been pulled away by her earlier struggles. _He was a heathen_? No. The vertical lines that graced the throats of pagans were not the markings on this mans neck. His were - jagged edges, so that meant he was… he was a heretic? That couldn't have been given to him for nothing. They only marked those caught performing depraved rituals and sacrilege. Things like ritual murder… and cannibalism. She retched violently. That this mouth that had very probably tasted human flesh had been upon her - her stomach churned again. Bile burned in her mouth and nose.

"Oh, come now, my love." His fingers slipped inside of her. "It's not all _that_ bad is it?" He thrust his fingers in and out of her, feeling at her walls. She squirmed against him trying to push his hand away - to get his fingers out of her. He resisted, pressing closer to her and restricting her access to his arm. She managed to dig a heel into his calf and he yelped, slamming her head back into the wall. In their commotion neither heard the door open.

"What's going on?" The female voice sounded dangerous.

Seneca glowered at the intruder. "Get back inside, this doesn't concern you." From her position she couldn't see who it was. When the woman showed no sign of leaving Seneca let go of Katniss and she slid to the ground in front of him. She looked into the face of her savior, Glimmer who at that moment looked like _she_ was the one that could spit fire. She looked to Katniss form and stepped forward, reaching for her. Seneca pushed her away violently and the girl stumbled in her tall heels.

"I _said_ go back inside." He growled

The other girl observed the gamemaster for a moment before sneering, "Nice tattoo, I didn't know they gave those away to Capitol lap dogs." Seneca grabbed at the collar of his shirt, finding it open. He stood glaring at her before tightening his collar, conceding defeat and returning to the ballroom. ******

Glimmer stood there for what seemed like ages before moving to her side. She helped Katniss to her feet and assisted her in putting her underwear back on.

"Thank you." Katniss' voice was shaky. Glimmer mumbled a 'yeah'. Katniss walked with the blonde back to the party but before she could open the door, Glimmer stopped her.

"This doesn't mean anything." She was glowering at Katniss. "If I catch you in the arena, I won't hesitate to kill you." Katniss nodded, understanding and they entered the party together.

…

She hurried into the bathroom, hoping no one had seen her so disheveled. A sob escaped her and she tried to hold back the flood that threatened to consume her. Her dress was still bunched up slightly about her hips and part of the front was still pulled down to expose her bra. She rushed to the mirror to attempt some damage control. She wiped the smeared gloss from her trembling lips and attempted to remove the smeared ink from her neck. Her hands were shaking. She balled them into fists and rubbed them together, trying to steady them. The man had left a very nasty mark under her ear where he bit her and she pulled some of her hair from its place to cover it. She blinked the tears from her eyes and let out another pained sob before returning to her task. She pulled up her top and pulled the skirt down, flattening the waist. The eye shadow seemed to be water-resistant, but she dabbed the moisture from around her eyes anyway.

She took a moment to collect herself before returning to the party.

"Do you think fucking the Head Gamemaker is going to save you?" She turned around to face the voice. Cato was leaning against the wall by the bathroom door, glass in hand. "It won't." He added, giving her a condescending look. What did he know? She didn't want to satisfy that filth with a response…

"Go suck a dick." But she did anyway.

He gave her a mocking pained look before snickering into his wine glass. She stomped away, planning to find her suite. A strong hand on her arm halted her escape. She turned to glare at Cato.

"Get your hands off me." She spat, trying to yank her arm free. His grip didn't falter.

"Do you think I'm stupid, 12?" He growled, voice low so as not to be overheard. "Did you honestly think that flashing me some cleavage was going to throw me off balance?"

"What are you talking about?" She said, louder than he had. He scanned the area quickly before dragging her to a fairly secluded part of the room. He backed her into the corner, not letting go of her arm. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, she wanted to scream and run. She imagined Seneca's mouth back on her neck. She shoved at Cato's chest, trying to go around him, but he had her completely blocked in. "Let go." Her demand sounded more like a plea that she had hoped it would. Her movements became more frantic.

"I'm not done talking." His tone was final. "You know, you can play that sob story angle all you want and you can spend all your time from now until the beginning of the Games on your knees in front of the gamemaster, but it doesn't change the fact that these people," He gestured back to the party. "Aren't here to see some little girl bat her eyelashes and suck dick until she gets her way - they're here to see blood." He let go of her arm and took a step back. "And that's what I'm the best at giving them." He left her in the corner.

She closed her eyes and thought of home. She thought of stalking through the forests with Gale - mind completely focused. She put herself there. The smell of the trees and the dirt, and of her mate beside her. She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and drew back her bow. She let the arrow loose and it sailed toward it's target. It buried itself right in Seneca's skull.

"What was _that _all about?" She looked up to see Peeta watching Cato's retreating form.

"I'm not sure." He looked at her sympathetically

"You look tired." He mused. She shrugged and saw his brow furrow.

His eyes widened in shock. "Katniss, what the hell is _that_?!" He reached for the bite mark on her neck. She smacked his hands away. "Did _he_ do that to you?" She knew he was talking about Cato.

"No." She groaned miserably. "I don't want to talk about it, Peeta. I just want to go to bed." He frowned but seemed to accept her answer. He shrugged his jacket from his shoulders and handed it to her. She took it gratefully and wrapped herself in it, cursing his mother once more for dooming her sweet boy to this horror. He walked her to the elevator and told her he would be upstairs soon if she wanted to talk. She thanked him, but told him she would be fine.

…

She entered the suite. Haymitch and Effie sat on the couch, Effie beaming at her as she entered.

"How was the party?" The woman gave her a wink. Katniss was quiet. She didn't know what to tell them - she didn't know if she _should_ tell them. She stood there for a moment before realizing she hadn't answered Effie's question. The woman smiled at her expectantly and Haymitch had turned to acknowledge her.

"I almost got raped." She blurted. Her expression was blank. Effie's smile faded and Haymitch's eyes screwed shut.

"Oh, my dear girl, by whom?" Effie brought a hand to her mouth in shock.

"Seneca - the gamemaster." She pulled Peeta's jacket around herself.

"Wait - wait - wait." Haymitch stood up, stumbling toward her. "When you say 'almost raped' you mean you stopped him?"

Katniss stared at him, not understanding. "Yeah?"

"Why - why would you tell him 'no'?" He looked hopeless and grabbed one of her shoulders to steady himself.

"Because I didn't want to have sex with him, Haymitch." She was livid now. "Why else would I tell him 'no'?"

"He's Seneca Crane!" He screamed. He threw his half-empty bottle on the floor, smashing it to bits.

His temper tantrum didn't phase her, the abuse she had suffered at the hands of peacekeepers had been worse. Instead she argued back. "He's also a heretic." She punched the drunk man in the chest. "And I don't want his filthy hands on me!"

"You need someone with power on your side!" He threw his arms up. "Seneca Crane is as powerful as you can fucking get!" He grabbed her arm. "I don't think you realize how hopeless your situation really is."

She felt betrayed. She had expected at least an 'I'm sorry it happened, but keep it to yourself'. Instead she was scolded for preventing it.

"So I was just supposed to let him have his way with me?!" Disbelief clear on her face.

His eyes went wide. "He's the Head Gamemaker, Katniss." He was appalled at her rejection of the man. "Yes, you were supposed to fuck him!"

"That's sick!" She cried, tearing her arm out of his grasp.

"The Games _are_ sick, honey!" He snarled at her, making her jump. "There's shit goes on in that arena that would make your skin crawl." He set his jaw, a vein throbbing in his forehead, huffing. "You think what Crane did is bad…"

_Just wait._ She finished for him. Haymitch stormed off toward the elevator.

"What does that mean?" She turned to Effie, who was puttering about the kitchen, fixing tea.

"It's nothing you need to worry yourself about, dear."

"Don't lie, Effie. Crane said it too." She was in the woods again, aiming at her target. "He said Marvel and Cato had bad things in mind for me. What did he mean?" She had a hunch, but she had to know for certain.

"Cato has a - fondness - for young women." She started, not meeting Katniss' eyes. She stirred her spoon through her tea. "He's been known to make certain - _unwanted -_ advances toward some of the girls in the arena," Effie took a sip. "And to not stop advancing."

_What the hell is _wrong_ with these people?! _"Why wouldn't I need to worry about that?"

Effie looked at her surprised. "Well," She explained. "You're a heathen, dear, and he is christened by Marcus himself." She looked sympathetic. "I don't mean to insult you, dear, but I doubt he would want to sully himself with a _mongrel_ like you."

"Seneca did!" She was almost hysterical. What had she gotten herself into? She thought of Prim and remembered that she had to stay strong. _For her._ Her sister was safe at home in her bed instead of here fearing for her life - and innocence.

"Mr. Crane's appetites are quite a bit more perverse than those of Cato." She answered haughtily. "Or so I've heard." She took another sip of her tea.

Katniss ground her teeth. They had training tomorrow. She would take her frustrations out there. _No need to damage any property in the suite_. She followed Haymitch's example, storming off to her room.

A/N: There will be no more explicit sexual assaults in this story. That was just a sort of character defining moment so no need to worry about more of that.


	6. Chapter 6

**Warnings: **Triggering language regarding sexual assault, self-love

_I need to make this right_. Katniss lay on her back next to Peeta - both staring up at the starless city sky. She had found him up on the roof when she had been unable to sleep. They sat mostly in silence until she decided that if one or both of them was going to die, it wouldn't hurt to vent to him. Peeta had just let her talk, let her vent her rage about Haymitch's indifference and though she didn't go into detail about the assault, he offered her a sympathetic caress on the shoulder. One which she immediately shrugged off.. He just sat there quietly as she talked, he didn't offer her advice or words of comfort and she was glad for that. She wasn't much for words. She was, however, scared of what Seneca would do to her.

"But you didn't hurt him, right?" Peeta finally spoke. "I mean, physically?" She shook her head.

"I fought him, but I don't think I did any serious damage." She narrowed her eyes at the other boy. "Why?"

"Well, Glimmer was what really stopped him." His bright blue eyes were hopeful. "You had nothing to do with it, so he has no real reason to be mad at you so you should be in the clear." She hadn't thought of that. If what Peeta said was true, all she would have to do would be to avoid the man until the Games started. She wouldn't have to do _any_ groveling. She smiled at him and nearly pulled him into a hug.

"Where would I be without you?" She smiled at him.

"Probably in your room." She smiled. Her first real smile since before the Reaping.

"You're sweet." He gave her a lopsided grin before shifting away from her. He looked at the clock and sighed.

"Well, we had better be getting to bed. We have training tomorrow." He helped her up and walked her to the door.

When she got to her room, she showered, scrubbing any trace of Seneca off of her skin and crawled into bed. Sleep didn't come easily.

…

She awoke the next day exhausted. She rolled out of bed and winced at the pain in her neck. She made her way to the bathroom and checked it in the mirror. The mark had grown overnight. It was a deep purple and swollen slightly. It hurt to touch it. She tried her best to cover it with the make up she found in the cabinet but it made little difference. She sighed and dressed in her training uniform.

Breakfast was awkward. Cinna gave her a sad, sympathetic smile when he greeted her. Apparently news had got around. Effie tried to start conversation with Peeta but he mostly ignored her. Katniss saw him watching her in her periphery. She tried to put something on her stomach as she knew she would need it, but every time she put the food to her lips she felt like she would throw up. She kept thinking about last night. _I was fine last night._ She frowned. _Why do I feel so terrible today?_ She settled for drinking the tea Effie had provided. It calmed her nerves enough to finish some fruit.

The butterflies in her stomach went into a frenzy as the elevator descended to the training area. Peeta tried to take her mind off of it. He told her about some of the rumors he had heard from game makers at the party and gave her his theories on the types of challenges they might face.

"Cato's gathering allies." She told him. He studied her for a bit.

"I hear the Clove girl and Cato have some kind of history." He added, "But they didn't even acknowledge each other at the party so I don't know what it could be. She looks pretty dangerous. Maybe that has something to do with it?" He was silent after that, obviously deep in thought. Katniss was deep in thought too. Her mind was torn, her thoughts jumbled. She couldn't remember ever having been this off balance. She tried to pull her thoughts apart, to separate them but they just stuck back together into a blurred mess. Cato and Seneca with knives at her back. Peeta's hand in hers, guiding her to the victor's crown - And Gale - standing in the distance, shouting mutely about something she was certain was of dire importance. She didn't have anymore time to think about it as the door opened. They made it to a large lobby and the group of their peers.

Once all of the champions were present, they were told the rules of the training center. After that, they were led into the actual training area. The place was huge. Katniss eyes immediately fell on the archery station. Her hands itched to hold a bow, but Haymitch had told them not to reveal their strengths. Instead she moved to the knives, an area that Clove had apparent experience in. The girl had deadly aim with the things. Katniss felt embarrassed even holding them, but went on with her plan regardless. By the top of the hour, she was hitting within the kill zone of the target about 75 percent of the time. She practiced with the climbing wall until they were sent to lunch. Cato and Marvel sat with Glimmer and the girl from 4, brooding and drawing imaginary lines on the table as they strategized. Katniss saw Rue sitting by herself, munching and swinging her legs from her chair. The little girl looked around nervously. Katniss took a seat next to her and the girl's fidgeting ended. She smiled at the younger girl.

"I haven't seen you around the training center." Katniss started. Rue gave her a mischievous grin.

"Yeah, I've been up in the rafters." She took a bite of her meal. "Just watching everybody train. You're getting good with the knives."

"Thank you, it's been a while since I've done it." The girl gave her a sound of agreement through her mouthful of food. "So what's the plan?" Katniss asked her once she had swallowed.

"What?" Rue's eyes were wide.

"You said you wanted to be allies, so what's the plan?" She elaborated.

Rue studied her plate for a while. "Well first thing is we talk to Clove." Katniss shot her a curious glance. The girl was sitting by herself, playing with the food on her tray. She didn't seem to have any of the arrogance or fighting spirit of Cato- she did have his sullen temperament, however. The two looked nothing alike so Katniss surmised that they were, at the least, not siblings. The little girl next to her was speaking again. "She knows something about Cato that we don't. I've seen the looks they give each other during training."

"What kind of looks?" Katniss perked up. The thought of discovering a chink in Cato's armor thrilled her.

"Like," Rue wasn't quite old enough to understand emotions like love or sorrow, but she was doing the best she could. "Guilt."

She wasn't quite expecting that, but it was something she could work with. "Good." She said. "I'll talk to her, you just keep watching them."

…

Katniss made her way over to the wilderness survival station. Clove was testing herself on medicinal plants when Katniss sat down across from her. The older girl didn't even seem to notice her presence.

"You're good with the knives." Katniss said conversationally.

"Yep." The girl shut her down.

"So are you just going to go it alone?" Katniss asked again. Hoping for a real answer this time.

The girl glared up at her in annoyance. "Obviously." She sneered before looking back to the catalogue.

"Do you think you have a chance against that," Katniss nodded her head toward Cato. "All by yourself?" She flipped through the pages of the book on poisonous wildlife. "I mean, he's got allies this year. Don't you think you should have someone you can fall back on?" She tried for a more conspiratorial tone. "I'm not so sure he can be taken down by a single person. You know he's gifted, right?"

Clove rolled her eyes. "No, I hadn't noticed. I was too busy, you know, being from the same district as him and going to the same school as him - I guess he just hides himself well."

Katniss pursed her lips. "So aren't you guys friends or something?" The girl raised an eyebrow, but didn't respond.

Clove hadn't revealed anything, but she'd expressed no fear of her much larger, much better reputed, not to mention fire-breathing district partner. Katniss was curious as to whether or not it was a ruse. "Do you," She paused. "Do you really think you stand a chance against him?"

Clove looked at the blonde out of the corner of her eye before mumbling. "I'm certain of it."

Before Katniss could get another question in, the girl left the station. _Peeta would have known what to say._ The boy had a way with words. His welcoming smile would melt the girl's heart, Katniss was certain. She would open up like a fountain of words. But Katniss was not Peeta, and she had blown the interview. She decided throwing spears would be a skill at which she would excel.

…

Her aim with the spears was pretty terrible, but improved slightly when she pictured Cato's or Seneca's smug faces on the target. She tried swords next, but she couldn't seem to get the same kind of oomph behind her swings as the champions from 1 and 2. She watched how the girl she had dubbed Foxface moved as she hacked the dummies to bits. Katniss tried to imitate her actions but to no avail.

It was early afternoon when they were dismissed and Katniss was grateful to finally wash the stink of sweat away. She wrapped a towel around herself and exited the bathroom. Haymitch stood in the doorway of her room.

He turned his back to her quickly and muttered an apology before saying. "Get dressed, we need to talk." She glowered. She didn't care what he had to say, but dressed regardless. She was determined to gut the man if he suggested that she finish what the gamemaster had started last night. He turned back to her, but refused to meet her eyes.

"Peeta and I had a talk." The man started. "I've realized that the strategy I was trying to use with you wasn't one that you were capable of working with."

"You can go now." Katniss crossed her arms.

The man paid her no mind. "Listen - what happened last night -"

"I said, get out." She tried pushing her mentor out the door, but he stood his ground.

"I'm trying to say 'I'm sorry'," He put her arms to her sides. "Sweetheart." Her eyes were cold. She didn't much care for his apology. The man had done little but bring her pain since she had met him. "I know this is hard for you. I know you miss your family and your home." He paused. "And we forced you into a position you didn't want to be in, and I apologize."

Her eyes narrowed. "So wait." She stopped him "Did you _plan_ that?"

The man sighed. "We've been trying to - me and Effie I mean - we've been trying to sexualize you and we know he likes your type," He pointed to the ink on her throat. "But we were aiming more for the Capitol forgetting about your religious leanings so that we could garner enough support for you to win the Games. That strategy has worked for pagans in the past." His eyes darkened. "We didn't think _he_ would take notice."

"Your intentions are all well and good, but maybe let me in on your plans before you just decide that I'm the kind of person that would execute them." The guilt in his eyes and the pungent smell of alcohol on his breath told her that he did regret it, but she wasn't ready to forgive the man yet.

"I really am sorry, kiddo."

"I know." She moved past him. "I need some air." She mumbled before heading to the roof.

…

Despite Haymitch's apology, she had never felt so alone. Like there was no one she could trust. It seemed that everyone involved in the Games was working against her. The Head Gamemaker, her mentor, even her stylist all seemed to have ulterior motives. She was playing a game in which only they knew the rules. She wished Gale were there with her. She wished he had volunteered to join her, but he hadn't. Of course he hadn't, he still had to feed their families. She wondered if Madge had offered him the comfort of something Katniss had never given him. She had seen her flirt with the boy on several occasions. Maybe in his despair he had given in. The thought sickened her and drove her further into her mind as she tried to escape her own thoughts. She thought of Peeta. _What's his angle?_ Perhaps he would use her as his ticket out. He was her age, after all. He would offer the tribute as a sacrifice in his place, he could go home and not have to face the Games again.

She put her head in her hands and blinded herself to the city lights. There was no emotion, just a horrible numbness. She briefly wondered if this was just a dream, and if any moment she would wake up to find herself in her home in the forest. She willed it to be so. _This is a dream, I'm asleep, I need to wake up, winter is coming, I need to hunt._ She felt the hard stone of the roof beneath her bottom, and the cold wind rushing past her. She started to cry. This was real, and there was no escaping reality - no matter ho far she retreated into herself. She remembered home, everyone waiting for her - praying for her. Then she though about Peeta, and Rue, and even Glimmer. Only one of them could make it out alive.

She was finally able to pull herself together enough to head back downstairs - the others would be wondering where she was. She was filled with a sense of unease as she stepped into the elevator. Her hiccupping sobs had given her a massive headache and as the doors closed she felt nauseous. The elevator was too small. She shuffled around, trying to get comfortable as the elevator began its descent, but the space just got smaller. Her stomach roiled at the movement of the car. She felt pinned as the walls closed in. She felt hands on her. She tried to wriggle away as she fought back tears. The twisting in her stomach was getting worse and bile rose in her throat. Only one more floor to go, at least. The car stood still as it reached it's destination. Her breath was coming out in panicked gasps now. Her vision was spinning. What was taking it so long? The doors opened and she stumbled out, promptly vomiting into the nearest trash can.

…

The rest of the week went pretty much the same - training in the morning, vomiting in the afternoon, scalding hot showers in the evening, and sleepless nights. She was always on edge. Sometimes, she imagined she could feel the gamemaster's breath on her neck as she lie in bed. The thought turned her stomach and she couldn't control her breathing. She would end up hyperventilating or sobbing quietly, always thinking that this would be the end - that a black cloud was hovering over her and when it descended, it would mean her death.

She ran to the bathroom to yet another futile attempt to empty her already void stomach. She gagged and heaved, unable to catch her breath as she did so. She slumped to the floor in a spent heap, trying to get some oxygen to her burning limbs. She used the counter to help her pull herself to her feet once she was certain the nausea had passed.

"Katniss?" Peeta was standing outside the bathroom watching her worriedly. "I know -" He paused as if unsure he should finish. "Did he - Seneca, I mean - did he," The boy squirmed. "Put it in you?" Katniss shook her head

"No, he just used his hands." She shivered "He didn't get to that part." Her stomach was roiling again. She needed to stop thinking about this. It was getting hard to breathe.

"You don't have to feel embarrassed to tell me if he did." Peeta stepped forward as if to embrace her before he continued. "It's just that you've not been keeping food down and I just thought that maybe you were, like… pregnant… or something."

She gagged, putting a hand up to cover her mouth before holding her finger up to silence him. She collapsed back in front of the toilet, heaving violently. It was all sound an fury, signifying nothing. Everything that had once been in her stomach was expelled earlier that day. Her hands couldn't grip the bowl. _This is what death is like._ She was convinced that the man had poisoned her with his bite. She imagined what could have been. What would have happened to her if Glimmer hadn't shown up at just that moment. She imagined that snake forcing his body into hers. She pulled herself back over the bowl, retching air. The bathroom was cold and she began to tremble. _In another life, he violated you and you're sitting here, pregnant, about to face your end. _She didn't have the strength to pull herself up this time. She didn't think she could make it through the Games. Racking sobs overtook her and she leaned into the cabinet. Peeta was beside her, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders.

"There's a clinic downstairs, I'm sure they can take care of that sort of thing." He sounded like he was talking through a cardboard box. Katniss felt heat in her face and ringing in her ears. Why wasn't he _listening._ She just wanted to be alone, she didn't want this little boy trying to tell her what happened. He wasn't there. To assume he knew what was going on in her head...

"I said he didn't do it!" She punched the boy in the jaw and he recoiled - pulling his arms up to shield his head. She didn't want to think about it. Couldn't he see that he was just making it worse? _No, he can't, Katniss. He can't read your mind. _A tiny voice reminded her. It shone like a light at the end of a tunnel. Pulling her out of this dark corner of her mind and back into reality. A reality where she had just punched Peeta for trying to help her. "Oh no, Peeta I'm so sorry!" She reached for him, pulling his face close so she could examine the injury she had caused. He flinched away as she did so and grimaced once she had his head in her grasp. "I'm so sorry." She whimpered. "He really didn't get that far and I just didn't want to talk about it anymore." She begged forgiveness.

"It's okay, really." His voice was shaky. "I'm just worried about you - I got a little carried away with the guess work." He got up, telling her he would go fetch her some tea. She smiled and dragged herself to her feet so that she could brush the taste of bile from her mouth. She shuffled to her bed and pulled Gale's token from its place in her night stand and buried herself under the thick blanket, rubbing the token between her fingers.

Gale was there with her, rubbing soothing circles over her back, his unnatural warmth scaring the cold from her bones. His soft lips kissed the ugly bruise from her neck. Everywhere the gamemaster's hands and mouth had ravaged her, Gale's mouth and hands followed, removing any trace of the man from her flesh. She wanted to move her hand to her sex to follow this fantasy to its logical conclusion, but then she remembered that Peeta would be back soon. She huffed in frustration. Still, she allowed her fingers to travel under the hem of her pants and to let her fingers graze over herself through her underwear. She imagined Gale's tongue on her, doing absolutely _sinful_ things to the bundle of nerves between her legs. She hissed, pulling her hand up to her chest. _No, he'll be back any second now._ A light clinking sound from the direction of the door way told her she had been correct.

"Are you ok?" She nodded under the covers, trying to collect herself. The cover was pulled down past her head. She smiled at the boy and the worry that graced his features vanished.

"I'm fine, really." She assured him. "Thank you for the tea."

"No problem." He fidgeted with the sleeve of his shirt. She had the feeling he wanted to tell her something but he kept it inside. "I'll just leave you to it I guess." He mumbled before leaving her alone again, shutting the door behind him.

She sighed and covered herself again. _Now, where were we?_ Gale's hands were on her, rubbing down her sides as his mouth toyed with one of her nipples. She kicked her pants off of her legs and out from under the blanket. Her hand followed his fingers down under her panties and into her entrance. She allowed the heal of her palm to rub against her clit as her fingers stroked the inside of her walls, drawing intricate designs. She imagined herself kissing across the scars on Gale's chest. A jolt shot up her spine as his fingers brushed against a particularly sensitive spot inside her. _Oh, yes._ She was moaning into his mouth as he rubbed at the spot harder. He smirked into the kiss and removed his fingers - making her whimper. Her disappointment was short lived, though, as his lips trailed down. His mouth was on her now and she nearly cried out, her fingers rubbing over her clitoris. She could almost feel him there, his warm hands gripping her thighs, pulling her closer to him, keeping her still. She rubbed faster and Gale pushed his fingers back into her. She thrust down onto the imaginary digits, willing them into existence, then substituted her own for sake of continuity. Gale's warm, wet tongue continued to work on her, twirling around the little nub. She felt herself climbing to orgasm.

She bit the covers to muffle her moan as she peaked. She lay there in the afterglow holding the token, running the twine through her fingers. She should probably have been out there planning for tomorrow's interview, but the blankets felt softer now. Her room felt warmer. She snuggled up with the pillow and fell asleep.

…

She stood in the long corridor with her fellow champions. Her little self-love session the night before hadn't loosened the knot her insides had twisted into, but it gave her something else to focus her mind on. She grinned to herself, remembering the event.

"Oh my gosh, Katniss." Rue was walking up to her ogling her dress. "You're so pretty, you look like a flower."

"Thanks." She absently tucked the girl's loose strands of hair behind her ears. "Cinna tells me he worked hard on it."

"They're going to love you." She was talking about the Capitol, Katniss knew. She agreed with a confidence she really didn't feel. Haymitch had been adamant this morning before the interview that Katniss be anybody _but_ herself. _"The Capitol doesn't like surly ruffians."_ Peeta had disagreed. He thought the audience would find her quirky and charming. She was strong and independent - her sarcastic wit rivaled that of Haymitch and Marvel. She trusted the boy's opinion on the matter more than Haymitch's if she was being honest. He seemed to know how to play a crowd.

It came her turn to ascend to the stage. She sucked in a deep breath as her platform rose. Peeta gave her an encouraging thumbs up and she waved down to him.

…

"So tell me, Katniss," Caesar leaned toward her. "What are you into, what are you about?"

She thought for a moment. "I'm into survival."

The crowd roared and Caesar laughed heartily. "Well then I think you'll be a marvelous addition to the Games." He turned to the audience. "What do you think?" The cheered louder. She relaxed enough to fake a wry smile for the rest of the interview. He asked about her home and about her family, but made sure to steer clear of the topic of Gale and her religion. She felt the interview winding down.

"I have one more question for you, Katniss. Tributes have become a bit of a rarity nowadays," The man's pearly white teeth could almost blind her. She wondered if he had developed them as a sort of defense mechanism. "Why do you think that is?"

"I've never really thought about it." She hoped she was looking deep and introspective. "I was really thinking more of Prim when I volunteered than some social paradigm."

He nodded agreeably.

"I really just did it to save her. She's just so young and gentle. She couldn't kill a bug, let alone another person." Caesar nodded sympathetically. "I knew she didn't stand a chance against Cato but…" She let her self trail off. _But I did._

"But _you_ do." She nodded. They both stood and the man thanked her for coming onto the show. Then, with another blinding flash of white he pulled her into a friendly hug and bid her farewell.

She made her way to the lobby of the training center and found it still had a few stragglers that stayed to watch the rest of the interviews. Both champions from 7 sat on a bench in the center watching transfixed as Peeta got Caesar up to speed on every detail of his life up to this point. Another young man, the boy from 10, stared blankly, obviously lost in thought and Cato stood against the far wall, pointedly ignoring her, but still noticeably angered.

"_You seem like a real catch, Peeta._" Caesar started. "_I bet she'll be excited for you to get back._"

"_That's not going to happen._"

Katniss chanced a look back at the screen. Why would he admit defeat during the _interview_? _What is he, stupid? _Caesar seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"_Well, why not?_"

"_Because she came here with me._" Katniss' eyes went wide. The audience roared. She turned back to the lobby - Cato was watching the screen with a predatory gaze. His eyes met hers and he gave her a wicked grin before sauntering toward the elevators. _I'm going to _kill_ him. _She glared up at the Peeta on the screen and followed Cato's path back toward the suites.

…

"You made me look weak!" She had Peeta pinned against the wall. His mouth open and closed mutely trying to form words.

"Hey, hey, sweetheart!" Haymitch pulled her from the boy. "He did you a favor. He didn't make you look weak, he made you look desirable."

She glared back at Peeta. "Nobody's going to put their money on someone they don't think can win. Sponsors aren't what's going to save me."

"Katniss, these people like you more than you know." He pressed his forehead to hers, the smell of alcohol was suspiciously absent. _That's a first_. "You're the underdog, the dark horse. You called Cato out on live television, they like your attitude."

"You didn't see how he looked at me when he heard that. How he looked at _us_." Her tone was serious. "Like we were prey."

Haymitch sighed, choosing his words carefully. "You could have the Capitol on your side and probably die - or you can have no one on your side and definitely die." Her mentor released her. "If I were you, I would be grateful for every little bit I got. All you got left is your private showing with the gamemakers and it'll be a miracle if you get more than a six."

_Oh yeah._ Their private session - their chance to showcase their skills. She had almost forgotten. She imagined Seneca would use the opportunity to leer and humiliate her. At least she knew exactly what she was going to do - even if it meant getting a 2 as her score.

…

They wouldn't know one another's scores until they watched the program later that night, but she was confident that Cato's posse had done well. They congratulated each other and she thought she saw Cato mouth "ten". She wanted to throw up. Of _course _he would get a ten. Why wouldn't he? He had gotten one for the past 2 years. She grumbled under her breath about "career champions" and their training academies until it was her turn.

The first thing she noticed as she entered was that the only gamemaker that seemed to notice her was Seneca. He flashed her a knowing grin and his eyes raked over her body. Her blood boiled. She moved toward the bows, but then hesitated and moved instead toward the survival station to grab several wide bits of cloth and some berries. She then fashioned the bits of cloth into the vague shape of a person and used the juice from the berries to write the name "Seneca Crane" on the effigy's face. He was paying _very _close attention now, she noticed, and several of his peers were watching her with interest. She used a small pin to secure the dummy's head over the bulls eye of the target. Her first arrow struck the target where its crotch would be if it were human. The next struck the dummy's head dead center and the one after knocked it out of place.

She had never been so focused. A cold rage had overwhelmed her. She felt heavy… no - sturdy. Centered. Her last arrow lodged itself into the shaft of its predecessor. She returned the bow to the rack, this frightening calm giving her purpose, and keeping her steady. She faced the gamemakers. Seneca was leaning over the railing smirking at her - mocking her. The other gamemakers whispered amongst themselves - all of them looking uncomfortable. Her eyes met the game master's.

"Thank you for your consideration." She flipped him a rude gesture before storming out of the room.

…

Cinna had joined them for the announcement of the scores. He held her hand and assured her of a decent score. She wasn't so certain. A stone had settled in her belly as they all watched the scoring in silence. The District 1 Champions had both scored nines, while District 2's scored tens. She wasn't surprised. The girl from 5 had also scored a ten - she wasn't surprised at this either. She had been very… savage… during training - managing to maim the dummies in ways that even Cato seemed to struggle with. She remembered the gelatinous arms and legs falling pathetically to the floor. It was a massacre. She remembered the resentment in Cato's eyes as he watched the girl train - her stony expression betrayed none of the same feelings toward him.

Katniss smiled.

Her heart went out to Rue and her pitiful score of four. She hadn't thought the girl would do very well, but it upset her all the same. Then they came to her score. Everyone went quiet as her stats flashed on the screen, her score floating under her picture. Her jaw dropped. The announcer claimed it was the first eleven in the history of the Games and wondered aloud what she had done to earn it.

Haymitch whooped. "An _eleven_?!" He hugged her, patting her roughly on the back and ruffling her hair. "How in the _hell_ did you manage that?!" Everyone else seemed to be thinking the same thing. Effie squealed - bouncing and giggling and clapping with unconcealed glee. Cinna smiled warmly and pulled her into another hug - Peeta just stared at her in wonderment. They all wanted to know how she got her score - how she could be _that_ good with a bow. So she told them.

Haymitch's smile dropped and the mirth dissipated from the room. "No, no, no. That can't be right." She saw the gears turning behind his eyes trying to work out what had happened. "He's planning something. He wouldn't give you an eleven for that. No one would." He turned back to the TV, watching for any hint of what the gamemaster was up to. He found it. The host was speculating about a rivalry between her and the current victor. He introduced clips from the parade and her hesitation to bow to the boy. Hidden camera footage of their altercation at the party and every dirty look they had shared - her words during the interview about her being able to defeat him. He painted her as a fierce hunter, and him as her prey. Then Cato was a mighty warrior - she, a petulant child.

"He's trying to make him your nemesis." The mentor's voice was low.

"But, we're already enemies. I mean, one of us has to kill the other already."

"There's a difference between stumbling across you by chance, and seeking you out - hunting you." The man stood to grab a bottle of the amber liquid from a nearby table. "It's the purpose behind one that makes the difference." He chugged it down. "He's prideful. Seneca's issued your challenge to him and Cato's too arrogant not to accept." He leaned back into the couch, willing the stupor to overtake him. "Let's hope Erin's refusal to bow to him at the parade was a bigger one."

_Foxface. _Hopefully the monstrous girl would be her savior.


	7. Chapter 7

**Warnings**: Gore

Haymitch woke them the next morning and held a meeting in the dining room, offering the last of his advice. "They're going to start you at the cornucopia. It will have everything you could need, but don't fall for it. They're trying to lure you into a bloodbath." Peeta and Katniss were stuffing as much food as they possibly could into their stomachs before their stylists and armed escorts arrived to pick them up.

"So what do we do instead?" Peeta asked through a slice of toast. Katniss thought for a moment about putting some of the fruit into a plastic bag and hiding it in her… _No._

"You run. Out into the woods. Remember: find water and high ground. From there you can scout and scavenge for what you need." Peeta nodded grimly.

They heard a knock on the door exactly as the clock struck ten. The guards let themselves in. Haymitch shook her hand, assuring her of his confidence in her chances. He shook Peeta's as well, before dragging him into a strong hug.

"If I don't see you again - it's been an honor knowing the two of you." He swayed slightly, the alcohol hindering his balance. Effie tearfully placed a peck on Peeta's cheek and did the same to Katniss. Cinna escorted them out and through the labyrinthine halls to the arena. They were dressed into the Game's uniforms. Katniss thought absently that they were very much like the clothes she had worn back home, just better fitting. Perhaps her chances were better than she had initially thought. The familiar clothing, the fact of the arena itself looking surprisingly similar to her home, and Haymitch's advice put her partly at ease.

She held Gale's token to her chest, pulling at the rough twine, staring at the glass tube in front of her that would spirit her to the arena above them. It was cramped and small. Her breath seized in her chest just thinking about it. _No_. She couldn't think like that again. She couldn't allow herself to go back to that place. She needed her wits about her if she was going to kill Cato - if she was going to get back home. He resolve strengthened. Cinna entered behind her.

"You don't need to be nervous." He told her before pulling the zip up on her jacket. "I'm not allowed to place bets because of my role in the Games, but, if I could, I would bet on you." He gave her a soft smile. The man had a way about him. He made her feel warm and comfortable. His words filled her with courage when she hadn't even realized she had been afraid. She wondered if he was guided by her Lady. She smiled and hugged him. He gladly returned it, but released her when they heard a bell chime over the intercom.

"Well," He started. "That's your queue." She nodded and stepped toward the elevator. She paused for a moment as her mind rebelled entering the confined space. She shook the fear away and stepped inside. The glass sealed around her and Cinna moved to her right, taking her gaze with him. "Face this way." He chuckled. She smiled back despite herself.

"Won't Peeta need someone?" She asked, internally kicking herself for caring.

"He'll be fine, the queens are with him." He smirked. "They've bonded, I think."

Several soft tones chimed from the intercom now, informing the other champions that this was their last warning.

Cinna hugged himself and Katniss ran her fingers over the glass. _This is it_. She heard the machinery under the elevator churn and she began to ascend. Cinna gave her a thumbs up. She returned a nervous smile. The metal of the arena floor was moving to meet her. She had to fight down her claustrophobia. She closed her eyes, imagining she was in a great room, but the elevator still felt small. Darkness suddenly enveloped her. Her eyes to find a soft light shining down on her from above. Her heart was pounding in her chest. In mere moments she would be fighting for her life. She could see the tops of trees now and as she drew evermore upward, she could hear the sounds of birds, and of the other champions rising.

The cornucopia came into view first. As did the bow and quiver of arrows sitting at it's mouth. She looked around for Peeta and Rue. She met the girl's eyes, giving her a slight nod before looking back to the bow. Peeta's eyes were on her, pleading with her not to go for it. She wanted desperately to ignore him. The countdown began. Its thunderous booms echoed through the forest. She looked around for the most efficient means of escape. She also looked to Cato, but, thankfully, he only had eyes for Foxface. The girl was itching to get a hold of the great sword sitting near her bow. Katniss knew that if she could, the girl would drag it to her right then and there. Only 10 seconds left. Katniss took a deep breath.

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They were all running now. Katniss scrambled toward Rue, holding out her hand. The girl took it and they fled to the tree line. Katniss decided to hazard a glance back at the bloodbath. Foxface caught Cato's jaw with a heavy punch, knocking the boy off balance. She lunged for the sword and nearly decapitated the boy from 4 as he swung at her with an axe. He fell to the ground in a pool of blood. Another two children lay in the grass, knives sticking from their eyes. _Clove_. Katniss scanned the area for any sign of the girl, but she had vanished.

Katniss' heart stopped as she watched Foxface swing at Cato. The boy had acquired _two_ short swords by now. _No_. Katniss panicked. If Cato was killed by Foxface then… She and Rue reached the tree line and Katniss ducked behind some brush and watched the action, to see who went down. Cato seemed to struggle with the swords. He slashed at his opponent, but his swings fell at awkward angles. He was fighting to pull the weapons up to block her attacks. _Maybe he's injured from the previous Games_? _Maybe he hurt himself in the private session_? He dropped one of the swords and its blade ran into the ground up to the hilt. _That's not right_. Katniss inspected the rest of the cornucopia. Other metal implements seemed to be… levitating or trembling violently. Was it Foxface? Or did she have an accomplice?

Glimmer and Marvel were bearing down on the pair now. Foxface turned and ran, being unable to fight all three at once. The three chased her down, the girl from 4 joining them, all the way into the forest. The cornucopia was completely abandoned. The cornucopia was _completely abandoned. _Her bow still sat in the mouth, surrounded by the victims of the bloodbath. She darted for it, Rue following her. She scanned the dead for Peeta, but didn't see him. _Good, he made it out._ She grabbed the bow and the quiver -make that two quivers. She smiled. Her luck was looking even brighter. There was a sack of apples sitting on the table nearby. She grabbed those too. Rue was suddenly next to her carrying a vest of knives and two survival bags. The girl beamed at her, but her smile faltered at something behind Katniss. She turned to see Marvel and Glimmer stalking toward the cornucopia. It didn't seem like the two had seen them. Katniss held a finger to her lips and they crept off behind the cornucopia and out of the careers line of sight before sprinting back off into the forest to the sound of cannons.

The girls stumbled across a pond. Rue washed the muck off of herself as Katniss dug through the survival bags. They contained an assortment of dried fruits and meats as well as a few slices of bread. They didn't need those now, not while Katniss had a bow and prey seemed plentiful. She shook the canteens to find them empty so she filled them in the lake, popping an iodine tablet into each one before announcing that she was about to go hunting. Rue looked nervous.

"Don't worry, I won't be gone long. We just have to get something in our bellies before night falls." She gave her a smile and a friendly pat on the back before setting off to her task. In about an hour she had caught two jabberjays. They were coming to find that the arena was packed with them. The creepy birds sung in soft weeping and hushed whispers. As she traveled back to their place by the lake, she heard the sound of cannon fire. Her heart twisted and she found herself anxiously awaiting nightfall so she could see the faces of the fallen - she dreaded seeing Peeta's.

They ate well that afternoon. The water was beautiful and calm and Katniss hoped they could just camp out here until the playing field had been leveled. _Eleven cannons_. That's how many died in the bloodbath. They heard two more as the day wore into night. Katniss was lucky to see her fears were unfounded as the anthem played and of the faces of the dead, none were Peeta. Sleep was hard coming.

The girls woke to a loud crashing and sweltering heat. The forest burned around them and they grabbed only what they could run with. It seemed like no matter where they ran, there was a wall of fire waiting for them. Katniss struggled with Rue, trying to keep between the little girl and the fire.

"Is it Cato?" Rue choked on the smoke. Her breath came out as labored wheezing. Katniss shook her head, covering her mouth and nose in an attempt to keep the smoke out. She looked around through watery eyes to see a river. The careers would certainly stalk it, knowing other participants would seek it out, but there were no other options. She dragged the little girl toward it.

"Keep running." She gagged. "Toward the river." The twelve year old was shockingly quick. She managed to keep pace with Katniss long legs and she dodged fallen debris with the same skill as the hunter. A loud explosion shook the ground next to them, knocking the girls off balance. The source was quickly identified as another fireball came shooting at the two. They managed to jump out of the way just in time. _Was_ it Cato? Katniss scanned the area for the champion, but didn't see him. The distraction proved disastrous as another of the fireballs grazed her leg. She cried out, falling to the ground. Rue was by her side immediately, helping her to her feet.

At long last, they made it to the river and dove into the water. Along the far shore, they found an alcove - it could hardly be called a cave - with just enough room for the two to sit. The ghoulish birds of the arena kept them on edge with the sounds of screaming and crying. The fragmented words, blurred with repetition, only added a whole other layer of creepy.

They waited until night fall to find a place to sleep. Rue chose a large oak tree with heavy branches to support them and keep them out of sight. Katniss climbed first and secured Rue to the branch before wrapping the rope around her own legs, careful not to tie it too close to her burns, then allowed herself to doze off, but was awakened by the sound of bickering.

"What about those girls? Did he tell you to do that too?" A girl's voice spat. The sound of feet pounding on the leaves coming toward them put Katniss on alert. Where had they come from? She swiveled around on her branch to see a fire far off in the distance.

"Was I supposed to tell him 'no'?!" _Cato_. The pair wandered past their tree and Katniss had to strain to hear the rest of the conversation.

"Grow a backbone, Cato." Katniss tried to see the pair off in the darkness. The moon shone on the blonde and he seemed to glow in its light. He scowled at the girl next to him - Clove, she surmised. It was kind of hard to tell through the leaves.

"You don't understand." He was struggling to keep his tone even. "You don't know what it's like to reject him. What it does to me. Physically." His hand moved to his chest absently and he rubbed at it.

"Then turn from him." Clove pleaded. Cato looked at her like she had suggested he wear a pretty dress and join her in a tea party. "Cato, we can run away together, we can get out of the arena - I know we can. We can leave this all behind us." She pulled the boy into a hug which he did not return. Katniss could hear his heart breaking with his words as he pushed her away.

"Stop it." He strode away from the girl.

"We can leave Panem, we can go live with Farah. She'll take us in, I know she will!"

"I said stop!" He seemed to regret his outburst, but did not apologize. It was Clove's turn to scowl.

"This isn't you, Cato." She hissed. "You need to stop listening to what that maniac tells you."

"He's not -" Clove cut him off.

"I know you think he's still who he was in all those stories. All that glory and honor and nobility, but he's not like that anymore. That Marcus is ancient history." She grabbed Cato's hand, holding it tightly in both of hers. "He's sick, now. And he's infecting you. I don't want you to turn out like dad."

She pulled him into another embrace and this time he held her back. Their relationship was obviously very close. Katniss watched, riveted. If she were to look back at this moment in the future, she would probably wish she had pulled out her bow and killed the Champion right then, but right now he looked too vulnerable, too innocent for her to be able to stomach it.

"That won't be a problem." He rubbed the girl's back. "I already told you, you're going to win this." The girl jumped away from him as if he had just burned her - an expression of pure disgust marring her pretty face. Cato looked put off, but continued. "You get 12, and you'll never have to come back here."

"So you're just going to kill yourself, is that it?" Her voice was cracking. Katniss knew she was about to cry.

"Not if 5 kills me first." The girl pressed her lips into a hard line at this.

"If she can kill you, what makes you think I can kill her?"

He didn't have a response to this. He just cast his gaze downward.

"You're impossible." She grumbled before disappearing into the darkness.

Cato stayed in his spot for quite some time until he finally decided to go back to career camp. Katniss shifted, watching him march off until she could see him no longer. She settled back onto the branch and fell into a fitful rest.

After the episode the night before, the girls decided it was time to go on the offensive. If Cato really planned to end his own life, Katniss was doomed. She and Rue quickly came up with a plan. They needed to cut off the careers supplies. They knew where they made camp, they could see the smoke from their fire every night, and Katniss had seen the boy from 3 digging up and resetting the mines around the supply pile. The plan was to set a fire of their own to lure the careers away from their supplies while Katniss destroyed them. They would rendezvous back at their base camp in the roots of the inexplicably placed sequoia. Rue gave her a big hug before she left, reminding her of their four note whistle that would serve as their safety signal.

So Katniss found herself in the forest around the clearing which was void of any competitors. She surveyed the camp. Where were they? The careers wouldn't have left their supplies unguarded like this. Something was wrong. She pressed herself harder against the tree, willing herself to meld with it. Where _were_ they? This was a good hiding spot. No one could see her here so she shook the nagging paranoia from her mind. A mesh sack of apples like the one she and Rue had was mounted on top of the pile. _It should be enough to set off the mines_. She took aim and fired. The fruit rolled down the pile, hitting the ground with a great boom.

Katniss felt like her head had just exploded. Her hands flew up to the side of her face to check for the damage she was sure was there. To her surprise, there was none. She winced as she touched her ear, however and her head began to throb. She allowed herself to curl in on herself on the ground, willing the pain away. She looked back to the destruction behind her. The pile had been blown up, alright, but something was off. There wasn't enough wreckage for that kind of explosion. She wandered toward the clearing, taking note of the chest's contents. There were none. She cursed under her breath. _Those sneaky bastards._ She was in danger, she realized. So was Rue. This was a trap.

When she managed to get herself together she stumbled through the woods, tripping over branches and her own feet. Wet, warm blood dripped from her ear and down her neck. When she was far enough away from the career camp that she felt comfortable, she whistled the ascending notes and waited. Nothing returned. She tried again, and again the jabberjays carried her tune. When they finally gave her a message, it was with the tortured screams of the little girl.

"_Katniss, run!_" They shrieked. A haunting chorus. All the pain throbbing in her head was forgotten as she tore through the woods to hers and Rue's meeting place.

"Rue!" She cried. The birds carried this message as well. They almost seemed to be mocking her. "_Rue_" They sneered over and over. Two cannons fired. She sobbed inwardly and another's words echoed through the flock, the meaning becoming muddled through so many birds repeating it. "_Little friend_" they said, "_-ts right, heathen_". She knew she was close when a sentence started forming.

"_That's right, heathen. Come save your little friend._"

She knew now, the careers had been planning this. That's why there were so many chests and that's why they were empty. They wanted to lure other competitors out. They had been waiting in the woods. Taking out whomever was stupid enough to fall for it. She crashed through the bushes and into a clearing to see Marvel with a knife to Rue's neck. The little girl was crying. She mouthed for Katniss to run, to get away, but she was paralyzed.

"Oh good, you're here." The boy smirked. She wanted to claw his face off. A woman had done something similar in an earlier Games - she found herself weaponless so she ripped out the throats of her enemies with her teeth. It had been horrific at the time, but standing here, this arrogant cock grinning at her like she was some stupid child, Katniss felt he would deserve such an end.

"Let her go." She growled. He let out a sharp laugh.

"Put the bow down first." He nodded toward her weapon and she was aware of her body once more. Her hand was clenched tight around the bow, the grooves of the metal digging into her skin. She reluctantly did as he said and stepped forward, hand reaching toward Rue's. The boy chuckled, glancing down at Rue before slitting her throat. He dropped the girl's limp form to the ground. Katniss let out a blood curdling scream. She ran for the little girl cradling her body in her arms.

"Cato want's you alive, so I'll respect his wishes, but his method of incapacitating you is…" The boy mused before finding the right word "Too temporary. I prefer something more permanent." He wrenched her away from Rue's body and threw her face first into the dirt. She felt his foot pressing hard in the middle of her back and she snarled, struggling against him.

"Now, now. If you keep fighting like that I may hit something critical and the Wyrm would be ever so cross." He was kneeling on her now, pinning one of her arms with his leg, pressing the tip of a spear against her spine while feeling along the vertebrae with his free hand. She brought an elbow up to meet his crotch with mixed results - he fell off of her, but managed to jab the spear deep into her side. She cried out, pulling a knife from her belt and slashing wildly at him. He had recovered from her previous attack rather quickly and fell out of the way of the blade.

She was bleeding badly and every movement she made sent a searing pain shooting through her body but she didn't care. She would use up every ounce of blood in her veins if it meant killing this bastard. She lunged at him again, getting a good cut into his thigh as he scrambled back away from her. As he began to regain his footing, she pounced on him, knocking him on his back. She straddled the young man - grappling the spear from his sweaty, bloody hands and tossed it behind them. She brought her elbow down on his face. He was twisting and bucking under her wildly - trying to get her off of him. His arms blocked hers as she brought the knife down, one of his hands grabbed her wrist.

Suddenly, her vision went white and she felt herself drifting toward unconsciousness. The boy was gripping her wounded side hard - his finger digging into the hole he had made. She let out an agonized scream and bit his face - then he too was shrieking. His hand left her side and came up to her face, trying to push her off of him. He struggled to gain purchase, her blood making his hands slick, making a grip difficult. She could feel his flesh coming loose in her mouth as her teeth sunk in - his blood spurted against the back of her throat, gagging her. She released him, spitting his blood back onto his chest. She pulled her knife hand from his now loosened grip and, while he cradled his face, brought the blade down into his throat.

And then she did it again. And again. And again.

It was hard to tell, on him, what blood came from his neck and what came from his cheek, but her hands came up redder and redder as she tore at his throat and chest. Her body was trembling violently as she screamed and cried, the knife slipping in her grip.

She let out one last string of curses before climbing off of him on shaky legs.

She sucked in long panicked breaths, her mind and body struggling to come to grips with her actions. She stumbled toward Rue. The girl's eyes stared blankly at the canopy above them. Katniss cradled her once more. Rocking her. Crying. When she finally had no more tears to shed she lay the girl down, closing her eyes and crossing her hands over her stomach. She then collected flowers from nearby, placing them around the wound on the girl's neck, covering the blood. She wondered if she should do the same to Marvel. He didn't strike her as a flowers sort of person. Still, she had to do something.

She crawled to his mangled body, nearly his entire upper half was colored crimson. She felt bile rising in her throat, remembering what she had done to him. She swore she was going to vomit but all that came out was a choked sob and more tears. She straightened the boys clothes and brought his spear back to him. _This is something he would want, right?_ She petted his hands after placing the weapon in them, though she didn't know why. He was dead - he didn't need comfort. Then suddenly she heard a voice from the sky, a girls voice.

"_Cato's coming._" Her eyes went wide. The voice spoke again. "_Cato's coming_." The black bird cocked its head at her and she furrowed her brow. And exactly as the bird had predicted, she heard the unmistakable sound of leaves crunching under foot. So she ran as fast and as far as she could. She ran until her lungs burned and her legs gave out on her and then she collapsed in the sand next to a quiet creek.

When she woke it was dark but for the fire burning next to her. _The fire?!_ She panicked jolting upright and immediately regretted it as pain shot down her side. She threw herself back to the ground again, groaning. It was then that she noticed her wrists were tied. She tugged at the bindings and they slipped easily over her hands.

"They were just for show. I forgot to take them off." She twisted from her position to locate the voice. Clove sat a few feet from her, sharpening her knives on a leather strip. The girl didn't seem to want to kill her, but she was still wary. Clove pointed across the fire with her knife. "Your bow's over there. You left it behind when you ran so I picked it up for you. You're welcome."

Katniss remained silent. She checked the wound leg to find it completely healed, but terribly scarred - the wound on her side was red, raw and still very tender. It occurred to her once more that a fire would alert enemies to their position.

"We should put the fire out. Someone might see it." He rthroat was dry and it hurt to get the words out.

The other girl snorted. "They already have." She pointed to the false bindings. "He's been and gone." Katniss assumed she was talking about Cato - he _had_ promised her to Clove after all.

"How long have I been out?" She sat up slowly, pulling her legs under her to take some pressure off of her abdominal muscles.

The girl shrugged. "Better part of a week." She finished with one knife and went to the other. This one was covered in some unknown substance. "They sent you meds and what I gave you kept you pretty out of it."

Katniss perked up. "They sent me medicine?" That meant she was getting sponsorship, even if it was only enough to get her back on her feet.

"Yeah, it came with a note and instructions and everything." Her words were sarcastic. The girl obviously wasn't much for explaining things to people. "But I suppose it wouldn't have done you any good unless I had showed up."

"What did the note say?"

"Apply liberally and stay alive." The girl dug around in her coat pocket pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. "And whoever 'H' is." She said, looking at the note. _Haymitch_. Katniss smiled.

"Who all's gone?" She wondered what had happened in the time since she had been out.

"Most of them." Clove put her knives into her vest and pulled some jerky sticks and dried fruit from her pack and handed them to Katniss. "Your partner's alive. Cato, the girls from 1 and 4. Erin, um…" Her nose scrunched up in thought. "Us? The boys from 11, 3 and 8." They were silent for a moment. "Two people from the same district get to win together." Clove added. The girl seemed to resent the rule change, despite the conversation she and Cato had a few nights before. Katniss wondered what had changed before her thoughts drifted to Peeta. They could _both_ get out of here. He wouldn't need to sacrifice her at all. She wondered if that was what the rule entailed.

"Does that mean I wouldn't be sacrificed?" Katniss asked munching on the fruit.

" I assume so. It's either you and him or me and Cato." She glared into the fire. "And they know it's not going to be me and Cato."

"Why's that?"

Clove seemed to realize she had said too much. "Don't worry about it."

She was _not_ going to be shut down again. "I heard you two talking the other night, you know." Katniss started. "We were up in a tree, and we heard you talking. He said he was going to give me to you and kill himself." The other girl was glaring at her. "Is that what you're talking about?"

"No, it isn't." The girl spat. "Marcus wouldn't let him kill himself. The monster's consumed him completely, so _I'm_ going to have to kill him."

_What?_ "But why? If you could both win?" Katniss was confused now. What did she mean the god had 'consumed him'?

"Because he's using him. I don't know what for," Her tone went from one of anger to one of concern. "But it's bad and I can't - I can't let him be a part of that."

"Why do you think Marcus is planning something bad?"

Clove took a deep breath before leaning back against the tree. "This conversation," She said flatly "Is over."

_Seriously? _Katniss huffed. What could be so nefarious that she would refuse to even mention it to someone that was as good as dead? What could be so bad that the Capitol wouldn't just eat it up? But she supposed she understood the girl being so secretive. Gale had been the same way when they had met. She had been convinced that he had been hatched out of an egg and raised by wolves because even the most innocent questions like "do you have any siblings" or "does your family know you're out here" had been shut down and met with cold glares and turned backs. Katniss was not a part of hers and Cato's… thing - so she wasn't invited to the information party.

"How do you know him?" But she was nothing if not persistent. Clove's brow furrowed in annoyance, but she answered anyway.

"Family." Was her vague answer.

"So what did he do that makes you think Marcus is planning something?" She tried again.

"He volunteered for the Games!?" Clove shouted at her. Katniss didn't see the logic behind this. Perhaps the girl was just crazy. She had heard Haymitch and her prep team refer to her as 'crazy Clove' every now and then, but they - Puck in particular - were known to embellish the truth.

"And that's… unusual for Marcus' gifted?" She decided to hazard another question despite the increasing irritation of the girl in front of her.

"It is when you -" Clove stopped herself. "Shut up and eat your food." She stood and stormed off.

Clove had been gone for a long time. Katniss thought to go after her, but the combination of food in her stomach, a warm fire and a certainty that the girl could fend for herself let her drift off into another exhausted sleep. She woke to shuffling and clanking. Clove was removing supplies from their survival packs, divvying them up evenly and placing them into respective bags.

"What are you doing?" Katniss grumbled, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"Splitting up our resources." The girl answered. "You're strong enough to take care of yourself now, I don't need to be wasting my time anymore."

"Haymitch said _I'm_ sullen and uncommunicative." Katniss mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?" Clove asked, an undisguised threat on her voice.

"Nothing." The hunter responded.

"That's what I thought." The girl finished packing and hefted her bag onto her shoulder. They sat in silence as Clove set to hiding evidence of their being there. She doused the fire and buried the remains under sticks and leaves, pressing them down into the ground to look worn and turned to leave.

"Clove," Katniss started. The girl stopped, but did not turn to look at her. "I'm going to be the one to kill Cato." She felt it needed to be said. For the sake of sponsorship if nothing else. The other girl was silent. "And thank you."

"Good luck." The other girl's voice was soft. She did meet Katniss' eyes this time and gave her a nod before stalking away. Katniss lie on her back, watching the sunrise to the sound of the enigma's fading footsteps.

Katniss found that, while her leg gave her no trouble at all, the wound on her side would be causing her a lot of grief. Clove had left what remained of a bottle of pain medication with the archer, for which she was very thankful. Though the pills made her groggy, they allowed her to use her bow with little discomfort.

She caught a bird and built a small fire. One of the side effects of her medication, she was discovering, was that everything she put in her mouth was completely tasteless. She wanted so badly to savor the bird after only eating dried fruits and meats - drinking only water - but it wasn't a possibility. So she rolled the meat around in her mouth, grimacing at the dryness of it. She kicked dirt over the fire. It hadn't been big enough to give off a significant amount of smoke, but one could never be too careful. She hauled her backpack up on to her shoulder and soldiered on.

The river was just ahead. She still needed to take out the careers, but without another person to create a distraction while she picked them off, it was going to be difficult. Clove had left her a roll of wire and a length of thin cord. She tried to remember all of the snares Gale and the trainer had taught her. Traps would be her best shot. If they couldn't kill the other kids, they would definitely slow them down. They would wound or greatly damage the legs and feet of any who came across them. She sharpened dozens of thick sticks and imbedded them onto the ground, hiding them with the underbrush. She used the cord as a sort of tripping device, anchoring it to nearby trees and testing that it would catch the weight of an adult.

She was headed to the river to wait for her opponents when she saw the nightlock bush. She quickly gathered the poisonous berries and smeared their juice onto all of her more pointy traps. _Perfect._ She thought. Rue's untimely death and the lives of all the children taken in the bloodbath freed her of the regret she knew she would be feeling under any other circumstances. The careers _deserved_ whatever they had coming to them. _This pain medication is _insane_. _She had never felt so invulnerable.

She waited by the river, washing her hands of the nightlock juice, keeping a weather's eye out, she didn't trust her damaged ear. As she scanned the river bank she saw a young man about her age, maybe younger was fleeing from the career pack. The girl from 4 was taking the lead, she held a scythe in one hand, lashing at the boy when she got close enough. He fell to the ground and Katniss could see that the girl had sliced the back of his leg and blood now poured from the wound. He would probably be dead soon of blood loss whether the careers finished him off or not.

She stood in an attempt to get their attention, but they paid her no mind, instead circling around the fallen boy like hyenas. They cackled and howled, kicking him and jabbing him with spears - never cutting deep enough to do any real damage. There was another young man standing off to the side, bogged down with supplies. He watched the display with a subdued disgust and Katniss noticed, to her horror, that the young man was Peeta. He fidgeted, unsure of what to do - then he was pulled into the fray by Cato, who handed him a sword. Cato watched her partner, grinning expectantly, but Katniss knew that if Peeta hesitated, he would waste no time in killing him right along with the boy on the ground.

He didn't hesitate, though. He just stabbed the boy in the neck, making quick work of it. A cannon boomed.

The look of sick satisfaction on Cato's face made her skin crawl. Peeta didn't pretend to enjoy what he had done. He just shoved the sword unceremoniously back into Cato's hands and trudged back the way they came.

"Down there. Look!" The girl from 4 was pointing at her. _Finally, someone notices._ Katniss bolted into the woods, moving just fast enough that they could keep up, but couldn't catch her. She could hear the stomping of their feet some yards behind her when she approached her trap. She bound, she hoped inconspicuously, over the trip wire and dodged through the poisoned spike patch.

"Anya, wait! WAIT!" Peeta shouted behind her. She heard a loud thud and a feminine scream and turned to see the girl from 4 had fallen onto the spikes. The girl. _Anya._ Tried, for a moment, to push herself up, but succumbed to the poison and collapsed. Cato had his arm over Glimmer's chest, having stopped her from following the girl to her fate. Peeta gaped wide-eyed at Katniss. Cato was stepping gingerly into the spike pit, toeing the leaves and brush from several of the spikes.

"Watch your step." He instructed his compatriots. Glimmer nodded and followed immediately after him.

Katniss was running and she could hear that the careers and Peeta were out of the trap and chasing her full speed once more. Even at her fastest, the heaviest of the footfalls was getting closer. _Where can't they follow me? _A tall tree came into view. Branches small enough to hold her weight, but not enough to hold the boys. She could take Glimmer one on one, that would be enough. She still had her bow.

She scaled the branches, wincing as the effort sent ripples of pain through her injured side. One of the limbs broke under her weight, but she recovered and finally settled in the upper branches. Looking down, she saw that Cato and Glimmer were putting their weight on the limbs, testing if they would take the strain. They shared an uncertain look.

"Try it." Cato ordered the blonde up. He lifted her onto a low hanging branch and stood below her as she climbed. Her steps were hesitant and mechanical and her eyes never left her hands. Katniss mused that the girl had probably never touched a tree in her life. The branched creaked beneath her as she made her ascent. As the limbs grew thinner the girl became more stiff and unsteady until finally she stopped climbing.

"I can't go any higher. They're going to break." She shouted down to the boys. Katniss leveled her bow at the girls throat, thinking this her best opportunity.

"Jump. Get down!" Came the words of her leader below her. Glimmer's eyes snapped to Katniss and she managed to duck behind the trunk to avoid an arrow to her neck. She cursed as instead it went through her upper arm. Glimmer broke the arrow off, pulling the rest from the wound and jumped down to Cato. He rushed her behind a large tree before grabbing Peeta by the neck, pinning the boy with his back against his chest, now holding him in a choke hold.

"Throw that bow down." Cato produced a cruel looking knife from his belt and held it up to Peeta's face. Katniss didn't drop it. She kept it aimed straight at them.

He smirked. "You'd be so proud of him, Katniss," He ran the blade along Peeta's jaw, drawing blood. Peeta flinched and tried to pull away from the offending object. Cato tightened his grip on the boy's neck. "He never draws it out, he always makes sure to kill them quick." Peeta shook his head in a silent plea for Katniss to ignore the boy. Cato used the knife to coax Peeta into meeting his eyes. "It's almost like he doesn't want us to get sponsors."

Katniss hesitated. The boy had started backing himself and her partner behind a large oak tree, covering most of Cato's body from her range.

"What's it gonna be, sweetie?" He jeered. "Your bow, or his…" Cato ran the knife over Peeta's body, looking for a part to threaten. He smirked before settling the blade just under the boy's eye. "Pretty eyes?" Peeta squirmed in the District 2 boy's arms, but with every movement the blade pierced further into the flesh. Cato sliced the skin in a downward arc from the tear duct to the eyebrow. His eyes lit up as Peeta whimpered and blood trickled from the wound.

She didn't know what to do. Part of her wanted to just let Cato do as he pleased with Peeta and kill the brute once he was finished, but another part of her knew that if she did that she would have to watch that psychopath mutilate an innocent boy - someone she, in another life, would consider a friend. She reflexively lowered the bow at the baker, taking aim at his injured eye. If she could kill him, get him out of the way, then it would just be her and the remaining careers. But she couldn't. Her fingers held a vice grip on the arrow and she finally relented, tossing the weapon to the forest floor. Cato relinquished his hold on Peeta.

"Excellent, now get your skinny ass down here so we can tie you up." He placed the knife back in his belt and strode toward the tree.

"No! Fuck you." Katniss shouted down at him indignantly.

Cato heaved a dramatic sigh, pulling the knife back out of his belt and grabbing Peeta once more.

"Do we have to do this again?" He cut the button from Peeta's pants and shoved the knife into his underwear, holding it against his genitals. The boy let out a rather undignified shriek but Cato continued. "I'm not going to fuck around this time. Come down now or I'm cutting his dick off."

"She doesn't have a weapon!" Peeta shouted. His arms waved aimlessly in the air, trying to find a neutral position that wouldn't incite Cato's ire. "And she has to come down sometime, right?" Cato barely concealed a grin as Peeta continued his panicked rambling. "It's either that or starve to death, right?" He was breathing heavily awaiting his leader's response. "Right?" He tried again.

Cato released him. "Alright then, Lover Boy, build us a fire." Peeta quickly scurried off to collect the materials.

Cato picked up her bow and examined it. Smirking, he looked up at her and said. "You have to come down sometime."

…

Night was falling and she could feel the heat of the fire below her radiating upward. It wasn't enough to completely scare away what was becoming a biting chill, but it was enough to keep her from freezing. She bundled up and listened to the crackling of the burning wood. The group beneath her sat in complete silence until Glimmer announced she would be taking first watch, the anthem would be playing soon. As the group readied themselves for bed a cannon sounded. They all watched as a hovercraft appeared not far away to collect the body. Cato mumbled something unintelligible to Glimmer and she nodded her head. The boy shrugged before moving to put more wood on the fire.

A movement in a tree to her right caught her attention. She squinted, trying to catch a glimpse of the figure behind the leaves. Foxface came into view. She held a finger against her lips, a gesture meant to instruct Katniss not to panic. A quick glance down at the careers assured her that they hadn't noticed the red-head's presence. She looked back up to Foxface to see her pointing at place above her head. Sitting on a branch maybe ten feet up the tree was a nest of some sort that was emitting a low buzz that she had mistaken for a side effect of her damaged ear. She smiled. A hive insect would, at the very least, clear camp at the foot of the tree so she could escape.

She looked back to the red-head to offer thanks, but by that time the girl had disappeared. She checked to see once more if the careers were watching her before she ascended to the hive. From about five feet away, she could see the golden bodies of the tracker jackers glittering in the fading sunlight. She paused. The creatures should be attacking her, but they weren't - the smoke from the fire seemed to have a calming effect on them. Still, the sawing from her knife would provoke them to attack. She would have to wait for the anthem to go forward with her plan.

She made quick work of sawing through the branch as the trumpets sounded, but a few of the wasps seemed to take notice of her presence. She clenched her teeth against the pain of the stings, trying to focus her mind entirely on the task at hand. Her heart pounded in her chest as the nest began to heave - its outer skin rippling. The roar from the insects was growing deafening, she was certain the group could hear it over the anthem, but when she looked down to check, they were watching the list of tribute deaths none the wiser.

She could swear she was higher up, but looking down at the kids below her she is sure she could just reach out and touch them. They seem like giants sitting on the forest floor. Cato's forearms were almost the circumference of the trees surrounding him. Katniss' vision spun suddenly and she felt as if she were toppling from her branch. She whimpered, if her training was to be trusted, these hallucinations would be getting unbearable soon. She hugged the tree tightly, and once she was certain she was secure she went back to sawing. But the anthem had ended. With the venom coursing through her veins, she didn't trust herself to quietly continue her cutting. All but Glimmer had bedded down.

_I bet I cut through the branch enough to break it._ A strategically placed foot or tug of the arm would send the nest plummeting to the ground. Glimmer sat against the tree directly below the nest and would probably take the brunt of the attack. Katniss felt a momentary twinge of guilt. The girl didn't deserve that fate. None of them did. But if Katniss didn't knock down that nest she would die in this tree - she would never see Prim or Gale again - so she closed off that part of her mind that was screaming at her to show mercy. She scaled higher on the limb and placed her foot carefully by the wound in the tree and pressed down hard.

The branch snapped. From her angle, the only indication that her plan had worked was the pained and panicked screaming from the youths on the ground below. The wasps would follow them, she knew. They were _tracker _jackers_, _after all. She began her slow descent, occasionally having to pause when her body was filled unsettling feeling of cart wheeling into midair. The bloated, oozing form of Glimmer greeted her on her landing. She almost turned from the corpse as bile rose in her throat, but she stopped when she saw the shine of the metal bow in the girls hands. She stumbled to where Glimmer lay and bit back a gag, kneeling to reach pry the fingers from the weapon. A slimy yellow pus dribbled from the lumps on the skin as Katniss pulled at Glimmer's hands. It flowed over her fingers, sticking her skin to the girl's. Katniss let out a whimper.

"Katniss! What are you still doing here?!" The voice boomed from behind her. She nearly jumped out of her skin. Peeta fell to his knees beside her and she could see that he hadn't been spared the stinging of the tracker jackers. He had one arm out of the sleeve of his jacket to reveal a sting that had been ruptured and was now bleeding. He smacked her hands away from the dead girl's and went to work dislodging the bow from them. His breathing was heavy, his pupils large and dark. The bow was thrust into her hands. She gripped it tightly, clutching it close to her.

"The stingers." She said as she noticed another welt near the boy's collarbone as he faced her. She reached to the sore on her neck and felt around for the tiny pin before moving to the bleeding wound on his.

"Cato already go them out." He gestured to his arm. He removed the one from her hand - one she hadn't even noticed - far more gently than the other champion obviously had done to him. "You have to go. He got it pretty bad, but he'll be back."

Katniss nodded, mouth too dry to speak. They both got to their feet just in time to hear Cato crashing through the bushes not far from where they stood. Peeta glanced back before taking Katniss' face in his hands and planting a kiss on her lips. Her eyes widened in shock.

"I had to do that. Just once." He worried his lip between his teeth and she heard Cato let out a deep growl - more animal than human. Peeta shoved her away.

"Run!" He urged, gripping a spear. And as the victor closed in on them, she complied.

The venom in her veins made her feel weightless and she leapt over fallen branches and heavy roots with ease. She ran full force until she could no longer hear the scuffle behind her. As she slowed, she noticed the trees were warping into grotesque shapes and there were bizarre bugs flying around, landing in her face and hair, that she was only half certain weren't real. She swatted at them but met nothing but air. They dissipated with the boom of the cannon.

A/N: Sorry about the long wait, guys - I've been working on this and another story. I should be updating this about every other week as I have up to chapter 9 written. I'll be putting this on hiatus afterwords, however so that I can work on the other story that seems to be more popular. I do want to do a series of Hunger Games oneshots though, so if you guys have anything you want to see just let me know.


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